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and Mr Austin Coates openly said that he expected to become a valuable interpreter,
which I understand generally to mean that they intend to give him rank & prospects in the service equivalent to those who have entered after competitive examinations in England.
A. Kennedy's views
I am no absolute believer in competitive examinations, but I do think it has great practical merits. Apart from the question of who is likely to exercise patronage best, the competition system in England appears to me to bring the Govt. to where there is a larger supply of the article required, & then to exclude by a harmless process.
The very wording of this despatch appears to me to show that they have rather made a place for a man, than found a man for a place; & I think the 1st answer should certainly be that no evidence as to both necessity for creating this new appointment should be shown.
As to the general question, you have before you, it. of abandoning the system of cadets, increasing the number of inferior clerkships with a view to attracting a better class of officers. I confess I altogether differ from Sir ...
The individual in question here has apparently qualifications which remove him from the two first of these categories, but I should surmise he was not up to the mark in the 3rd.
I believe it to be very desirable that the heads of departments in Crown Colonies should have had a good general education, as well as official training; and it is in the former respect that I believe Sir ...