429
PUBLE RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
8
LIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON * WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE
REPRODUCED PHOTOGENPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH---NOT TO.
For the present, however, the time of the Junior Clerks.is fully occupied in cyphering and decypher- ing telegrams, seeing that all papers likely to be required are contained in the files for circulation, making researches and preparing précis, writing drafts and interviewing the numerous persons who
call at the office for information on matters of fact or of routine. Except in cases when a Junior has acquired experience and made a speciality of a subject, minutes by the Juniors are confined to matters which can be finally disposed of by the Senior or Principal Clerk of their Department.
The duties of "a Senior Clerk are to some extent similar to those of a Junior, being exercised in regard to more important papers, but he has, in addition, two important functions to perform. One is to dispose finally of all papers which do not contain controversial matter or information which may be useful to those above him. The other is to take his place as Head of the Department in the absence of the Frincipal Clerk. For the latter purpose the Senior Clerk also, in each Department, must have a general knowledge of all the more important work of the Department, and the necessity for special knowledge and experience has become so great that it is not possible for any member of one Department to become efficient as a Principal or First-Class Clerk in another Department within s period which may be safely put at from one to two years.
As already stated, the Senior Clerk in each Department disposes, finally, of all papers which do not contain controversial matter or information which may be useful to those above him. In this way a considerable portion of the work is disposed of without going through more than two haude. It is necessary that each paper should pass through two hands, for a slip, even in a case of routine, might involve serious consequences to the public service, or at least entail much unnecessary correspondence. As an extreme instance, an inaccurate description of
» letter in a mere acknowledgment thereof might be taken advantage of as committing the Secretary of State to certain views which he would not enter- tain, and there have actually been instances in which over-payments have been made owing to a ship in a matter of routiue.
The Principal Clerk of each Department, or in his absence the Fenior Clerk soting for him, has absolute discretion as to finally disposing of the papers which come before him. It may be assumed ibat he finally disposes of from 20 per cent. to 50 per cent of these; and this percentage, like the matters of routine; does not pass through more than two hands.
- I is submitted that no improvement can be the organisation of a geograpliion! The Work is 'not overdone." "The ́except 'in að far División Clerks,
without throwing on the Principal an impossible amount of work and leaving the Department without any responsible head in his absence.
There remains to be considered the functions of an Assistant Under-Secretary, and the disposal of the work which the Head of the Department considera too important to be finally disposed of by him. This work, which is not inconsiderable and which of course, demands the closest attention and the most careful consideration, does not pass through more than one or two members of the geographical Department, and in highly controversial matters there is a distinct advantage in having the subject discussed from different points of view by those who, from long experience or other qualifications, are entitled to express a valuable opinion. When such matters are not merely controversial, but of political importance, a series of minutes not only forms a convenient way of presenting different views of the case to the Political Head, but is of value as showing to their successors the grounds on which any particular decision was taken, and thus preventing a too hasty reversal of policy.
The work in question is passed by the Head of a Department as a rule to an Assistant Under-Secre- tary, but in a few cases, which it is needless to specify, to the Permanent Under-Secretary or the Political Under-Secretary. There are four Assis- tant Under-Secretaries, one of whom is the Legal Assistant Under-Secretary; and taking the number of geographical Departments as seven, each of the three lay Assistant Under-Secretaries take the work passed on by two geographical Departments, the Legal Assistant Under-Secretary taking that of one geographical Department in addition to his legal work, which, it may be noted, includes a great part of the work of the General Department, such as the consideration of Foreign Treaties as affecting the Colonies, Copyright, and similar questions. It may also be noted that the administrative experience acquired by the Legal Assistant Under-Secretary in dealing with the work of one of the geographical Departments qualifies him to deal with many ques- tions from a political point of view which would otherwise have to be dealt with by one of the other Assistant Under-Secretaries, or by the Permanent Under-Secretary with the aid only of a bare expression of legal opinion.
6
The Permanent Under-Secretary and the Asgist- tant Under-Secretaries belong to a class of so-called "Staff Officers" which bas been defined in a Treasury Minute of 10th August 1889 (House of Officers in Commons 380-1889), as including receipt of fixed salaries of 1,00014. or more, or on scales of salary rising to a higher maximum than 1,0001. a. year. In paragraph 51 of that minute it is stated as follows: "My Lords hold that officials of this class mits always be present as responsible advisers and executive officers of the Parliamentary chiefs, and they become more néosemary sa the growth of the country and the ineressing demands of legislation 'add to the duties of Ministers."
R 28444.
B. a
PSA
6
The following tables show the number and salaries of the staff officers, as defined above, in the Treasury and the Home, Foreign, and Colonial Offices:-