157
501
Another officer. But in Crown Colonies,
(the Case is very different in Colonies possessing real self-government.)
It is practically impossible to get rid of Civil officers, however incompetent or unsuitable he may be, so long as he is not guilty of gross misconduct. It will be recollected that the Governor in Crown Colonies has not the power of dismissing, even for flagrant misconduct, a Policeman or Turnkey, if the pay and allowances of such Policeman or Turnkey exceed £100 a year.
In tropical Colonies the pay of European Policemen & Turnkeys generally exceeds £100 a year.
The consequence is (as all who know Crown Colonies and Colonies with self-government will agree,) that the energy and discipline of the Public Service are generally far superior in Colonies where incompetency or indolence are liable to immediate punishment by the Colonial Government and Parliament, than in Colonies, where the Civil Servants care little for the local Government and Legislature, and look only to the Colonial Office in England, at the distance of half the Globe.
It may be remarked