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FORLI

RECORD OFFICE

Reference -

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5. Since the maintenance of an efficient Public Service must necessarily involve questions both of finance and of policy, it is right and I know in accordance with your intention and desire, that the views of Ministers should be freely invited and fully con- sidered Provided that consideration of these matters is approached with a single- minded purpose of securing the efficiency of the Service and the greatest possible economy in administration consistent with that efficiency, the occasions of difference between the Governor and Ministers should be few. I know that in your approach to such questions you have in view one consideration, and one consideration only, namely the best interests of the Island, which require a proper standard of efficiency in the Public Services if the administration is to be conducted to the best advantage of the population at large.

I have, &c.,

14276/33 [No. 7].

No. 22.

P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR.

(No. 415.) SIR,

Downing Street, 24th August, 1933. In my despatch No. 414 of even date,* I have dealt with the general principles involved in the resolution passed by the State Council on the 1st March. There is one point of detail in regard to the third part of the first resolution with which I think it desirable to deal in a separate despatch. I agree with you that it is impossible to accept a definite ruling limiting the total pension which an officer may draw from all sources to Rs. 16,000 per annum. As you point out, this limitation might have a grave effect on the pension of an officer transferred from elsewhere to one of the higher posts in Ceylon, and would hereby operate to restrict the field of selection to the detriment of the interests of the Island. Moreover the effect of such a limitation would be to reduce the Ceylon share of the pension of an officer with mixed service without any pari passu reduction in the shares of other administrations-clearly an inequitable arrangement. This objection, it may be noted, does not apply to the existing limitation to £2,000, since The point in practice this can be effective only in a very few, if indeed in any cases. of this limitation is simply that it prevents any officer under the Governor from becoming potentially eligible for a pension higher than that for which the Governor himself can qualify (see Lord Passfield's Miscellaneous despatch of the 27th of March, 1930).†

Part I of the second resolution deals with the appointment of a Select Committee of the Council to consider the recommendations of the Salaries and Cadres Commission. I have no comments to make on that part of the resolution, but as regards the second part of this resolution the general principles expressed in my despatch of even date are, of course, applicable.

I have, &c.,

P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER.

(5) Personnel of the Irrigation Department.

14286/1/33 [No. 1].

No. 23.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 3.31 p.m., 6th April, 1933.) TELEGRAM.

[Answered by No. 24.]

6TH APRIL. No. 63. Confidential. Regret to inform you that conflict has arisen between myself and the Minister for Agriculture and Lands in regard to cadre

* No. 21.

† C. 70056:30 [No. 4]: not printed.

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of Field Engineers (at present all Europeans) in the Irrigation Department. Field Staff was reduced from 23 in 1930 to 18 in the current estimates consisting of 5 Divisional Irrigation Engineers, 9 Irrigation Engineers, and 4 temporary Irrigation Engineers. Actual strength at present is 2 Divisional Irrigation Engineers, 10 Irrigation Engineers, and 5 temporary Irrigation Engineers. In April last Minister tentatively proposed reduction of total Field Staff to 14, all permanent. On my instructions Financial Secretary replied to the Minister that it would be difficult, though not impossible, to carry on with the full 18 but to reduce to 14 without change of policy would be quite incompatible with the volume of work expected of the Department. In June Session Paper VIII published recommending eventual reduction to 14, see enclosures to my despatch of 7th December, No. 699.* Motion for adoption of this report has been on the order of the day since July last, but has never been debated. Proposals have therefore not been ratified either by the State Council or by me, but the State Council will undoubtedly ratify above reduction. On the submission of the Session Paper to me by the Minister I indicated my disappointment that the Executive Committee had apparently not taken into consideration my views conveyed by Financial Secretary but noted that it was not intended apparently to effect proposed reduction to 14 immediately or in the near future.

In November Director proposed to Public Services Commission that one of the two vacancies for permanent Irrigation Engineer should be filled and Executive Com- mittee agreed, but fortnight later added proviso that appointment should be on terms to be hereafter decided for new entrants. The Public Services Commission felt un- able to recommend appointment on such vague conditions. Protracted negotiations with the Board of Ministers followed, but eventually Board would only agree to permanent employment of two of the temporary Irrigation Engineers on Pereira terms or as an alternative extension of their agreement for five years on existing terms. In their opinion remaining temporary Engineers should be discontinued on expiration of their agreements. To bring up the strength of the Field Staff to 18 Ministers propose recruiting qualified Ceylonese without practical experience, but clearly some years would have to elapse before they could replace experienced overseas officers and their proposal does not therefore meet the situation.

I regard reduction below 14 experienced officers as incompatible with my responsi bility for maintenance of efficient public service, and I have only agreed with Minister to that reduction which involves discontinuance of three temporary Engineers with great reluctance in view of pressing need for retrenchment and on the understanding that programme must be reduced accordingly. Minister's proposal clearly involves permanent maintenance of at least 14 posts filled by experienced Engineers, and I accordingly suggested permanent engagement of the two most suitable of the five temporary Engineers, as I consider that if permanent employment is available existing officers who have proved satisfactory have a claim to it, and I regard it as most unfair to ask them to continue serving on agreement.

Minister objects to permanent employment as prejudicing Ceylonization, and in preference to it professes willingness reduce programme to what can be carried out by staff of twelve. I consider there is no practical prospect of such reduction to programme, and I believe intention is professed with sole idea of securing discon tinuance of present European officers. I am convinced that demand will continue to he made at least as great as can be met only by 14 experienced officers. Ceylonization will have full scope in future owing to reductions of European Staff already made coupled with inevitable future expansion of programme. Minister has also suggested as alternative temporary engagement of two new European officers, but this would obviously not be economical and would provide no effective addition to Departmental strength until these officers had had two or three years' experience. I accordingly feel compelled to fill two existing vacancies in the staff of fourteen by permanent appointment on existing scale of two officers, Kitching and Stallworthy, who have served Minister will not provide their salaries in his esti- years on temporary agreement. mates, and I shall be obliged to use my reserve power to secure inclusion. Request authority to proceed accordingly.

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* C. 93178/32 [No. 1]: not printed.

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