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4. When I applied for the post of Deputy Registrar and Accountant in 1901 Mr. Kemp was, so far as I am aware, my only competitor. The Secretary of State, Chamberlain, in his despatch of 29th August 1902, settling the appointment expressed himself as follows:-
"As the post is one of those, for which it has been decided that Cadet Officers shall be regarded as having preferential claims, I should, in the absence of special circumstances, have had no hesitation in approving the appointment of Mr. Kemp, but, as matters stand, I consider it to be impossible without great hardship to disregard the claims of Mr. J. W. Jones who has held the acting appointment for so long and is reported to have performed the duties of the office satisfactorily. I have therefore come to the conclusion that the latter Officer should be appointed and have informed him accordingly."
Under the circumstances, therefore, I consider that my seniority and claims, so far as Mr. Kemp is concerned in this Registry, were settled once and for ever by Secretary of State Chamberlain, and any future attempt to place Mr. Kemp before or above me at any further time is unjust. Such has now been done and whether rightly or wrongly I labour now under a deep-rooted sense of grievance and injustice, which has greatly affected my health.
5. In 1904, various changes took place in this Registry. Mr. Norton Kyshe retired and Mr. Seth, the Deputy Registrar and Appraiser, was appointed Registrar, while Mr. Kemp was appointed Deputy Registrar and Appraiser.
For this latter appointment, I was not a candidate, but on hearing of Mr. Kemp's appointment to the post, I wrote to Mr. Secretary of State Lyttleton on the subject, as I considered that, having for years been junior to Mr. Seth and having had the most laborious work in this Registry, I was fairly entitled to take up the more congenial work of Deputy Registrar and Appraiser. I wrote with very little hope of success, the substantive appointment having been already made, and I was not therefore surprised to be subsequently informed that no changes could be made.
6. With reference to the two offices of the Deputy...
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