5
changes and gave us his independent opinion.
Sir G. Nortncote can have no bias in favour
of the traditional Cadet claims in Hong Kong,
and his very strong verdict against the new
system must have all the more weight.
He definitely comes to the conclusion
that the specific appointment of Class I
officers to particular posts would be a mistake,
and would be contrary to the public interest
since it would either hinder the placing of
senior officers in functions for which they
were best suited, or would alternatively upset
the Service by multiplying the instances in
which efficient officers have to be passed over
by officers junior to them but who have had the
opportunity to acquire some special form of
experience.
The Governor, in paragraph 5, clearly
states that in forming this opinion ne is not
influenced by such questions as whether or not
the Director of Education and the Postmaster
WM
General should be fadets. But there and always
remain a rather peculiar variety of functions
of Hong Kong which must fall to the lot of the
senior administrative officers, and I must say
that the importance of political'considerations
in the next few years in Hong Kong will be
enhanced rather than diminished, and it will be
most important that the Governor's mand shall
not be cramped in the posting a his chief
political officers to the work from time to
time for which they may be most suitable (and
conversely removing such officers from particular
jobs if they are found not to have a flair for
the work in question). Nobody would wish
to