6
397
frequent temporary vacancies in all the chief offices of Government. The practice hitherto has been, on the occurrence of any vacancy, to fill it with the head of some other office; who is in his turn replaced by another head of office; a general move being thus caused in all the departments of the public service. To compare, by way of illustration, small things with great, the system in force at Hong Kong is as if every time Sir Julian Pouncefote is indisposed or absent, his place at the Foreign Office, should be taken by Sir Ralph Lingen, who, in his turn, should be replaced at the Treasury by Sir Robert Herbert, whose place at the Colonial Office should be taken by the Permanent Under-Secretary from the India Office; and so on until we should find one of the Commissioners of Police, or Inspectors of Prisons, acting as permanent chief of the Board of Trade, or of the Civil Service Commission.
5. All here agree that it is essential, on public grounds, that this mischievous system should cease.