43
2378
General.
C.O.
16215/98.
Lord Selborne has directed this paper to be recirculated to the writers of previous minutes for any further observations they may have to make with reference to Mr. Chamberlain's minute.
30th September, 1899.
(MR. MERCER.)
W..D. E.
(Received by me, 7th November.)
On verbal instructions from Mr. Chamberlain, but before I had seen his minute of 28th August, I sent on a minute respecting the proposed pension scheme which has, I understand, been referred to the Eastern and West Indian Departments.
The West African difficulty should be considered in connection with the recent petitions, asking that the conditions on which pensions are granted should be made easier.
I presume that the proposed committee will be appointed and consider the various points in issue.
8th November.
(MR. ANDERSON.)
W. H. M.
As the matter is to be considered by a committee, I need only say that I regard the two points mentioned by Mr. Chamberlain-getting rid of inefficients and provision for widows and orphans— as of the first importance. We put a round peg in a square ħole, and he spends the best years of his life vainly trying his best to fit it, but without success, and we cannot get rid of him without harshness.
The system of having each man's dossier kept up to date and readily available would be most useful, and should save us from many mistakes, especially if governors and officials—in speaking of an officer's qualifications-will write or speak with a full sense of responsibility, and not give undue play to personal bias and good nature.
is
I hope the Committee will consider the question of the cost of transfers. No assistance is given in this respect to officers whose salaries are over £500 (£600 in West Africa), and in the case of some Colonies no assistance, or only a limited sum, given in any case. This is a great drawback to the mobility which is essential to the satisfactory working of a scheme intended to get the best man for a place.
With the low salaries we pay it is impossible to transfer a man except to such a substantial
pro- motion as will shortly recoup him the cost of his move, and this heavy expense is, to some extent, the cause why so many fail to make provision for their families. Of the desirability of a compulsory scheme for such provision there can be no question.
J. A.
(MR. JUST.)
I believe that it would be possible to organise a service for the Crown Colonies and Protectorates of Africa, candidates to be of the age of 24, and selected by the help of the general examination by which the Indian Service and the Eastern Colonies Service is recruited. There will always be a certain number of bad bargains, but that is so also in the case of the Indian and Eastern Services, and nobody quarrels with them.
Nowadays people are getting less afraid of bad climates and, granted a sufficient salary, you could get a good stamp of man who has been to the university, for a general West and East African Service. At any rate, the experiment should be made.
H. W. J.
10th November.
(MR. PEARSON.)
Some of
I entirely agree with Mr. Anderson. the more important points for the Committee to consider are-
1. Uniform Pension and Widows' and Orphans' Pension Scheme, both, as I think, under the Govern- ment, and paid and managed in the same way,
2. It would be very desirable to have a scheme for getting rid without harshness of incompetent officials, or possibly for transferring the square peg
to the square hole, without loss of emolument, if this would be cheaper than retirement.
3. I also quite agree with Mr. Anderson as to the desirability, if possible, of a sliding scale of passage allowances instead of, as now, a hard and fast line.
4. I also agree with Lord Ampthill, Mr. Antrobus, and Mr. Anderson as to a permanent record of services, &c. I urged this twenty years ago after being Assistant Private Secretary to Lord Carnarvon. When Sir M. Ommanney and I be- came private secretaries we entered upon a per- fectly clean sheet, and subsequently I took away all the patronage books, both of men in the service as well as outsiders, and have them now in my room. Improvements have been introduced since then, but what is wanted is a permanent patronage record of officers in the Service kept by a permanent department of the office.
11th November.
(MR. Cox.)
A. A. P.
I agree with Mr. Anderson. I do not think I
can usefully add anything further.
11th November.
H. B. C.
9th November.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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C.O.885
7
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