CO885-(7-8) — Page 80

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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Reference :-

C.O.885

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(MR. MERCER.)

Mr. Round's minute points out certain restric- tions, but does not seem to me to show that these limitations amount to difficulties which make the proposal impracticable.

'e have to send out men occasionally from this country to subordinate positions in the ordinary administrative service of the Colonies, and, without trenching materially on the system of local appoint- ments or interfering with technical offices, it seems to me possible and desirable to select such men by open competitive examination in the same way us is done in the case of the Eastern cadets. In West Africa such men would be sent out, as under the practice just initiated, as cadets, for service and training in the Colonial Secretariat, the Treasury, the Customs, &c. It would be necessary in advertising the places, to specify the colony in question, but the combination of the examination with the present one would, I think, bring these appointments before a better class and a wider range of men with liberal educations.

As to Mr. Round's objections :

(1) Language.

Officers such as I have named are not, like District Commissioners and Inspectors of Constabulary, required to learn native languages, as their native Bubordinates know English: nor are the officers to whose places they would ordinarily aspire.

(2) Race.

Reservation should, of course, he made of such appointinents as it is desirable to make locally. The scheme does not require interference with this practice.

(3) Distance and Climate,

Rates of pay and allowances depend largely on local circumstances, and I do not see that the scheme requires "uniformity and simplicity."

The object is not so much to multiply transfers, sa to get a better class of men to come into the .service.

(4) Historical, &c., Difficulties.

Transfers of important officers should I think be I agree.-E. W encouraged, as such men are more willing, for the sake of reputation and from public spirit, to go where they are wanted than younger men are. Breadth of view and diversified experience are developed by such transfers, and in important positions outweigh the value of purely local experience.

The subject, of course, invites a lengthy disserta- tion, but details could best be dealt with by a com. mittee as suggested.

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(MR. ANDERSON.)

If the scheme is to be restricted to appointments made from home, the main difficulty to my mind

Yes. But it is the cli- is West Africa, which apart from climate, is a very mate which makes it bad.— bad school from an administrative point of view.

R. L. A.

But the subject is one well worth considering, especially if it will save us from putting into respon- sible positions such men as some of our present Governors.

Owing to the fact that in so many of the Colo- nies only heads of departments are appointed from outside, the cadets would have to be trained in the Eastern Colonies, or in Fiji and West Africa, or in the Colonial Office, and these schools are of very different degrees of efficiency.

I very much doubt if it would be possible to combine the Colonial Office in the scheine. This office is now preferred to the Indian service, though it is admitted that the latter presents greater possi- bilities than such a combined service. We could not, therefore, look to getting men of the same class as we have been able to get hitherto. Of course I am not free from prejudice in the matter, but I think that, on the whole, it is a good thing to keep the Colonial Office apart as at present. The There are at any rate India Office is not combined with the Indian many exceptions, e.g., Lord

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service.

Pauncefote, Lord Currie, &c, service, nor the Foreign Office with the diplomatie Temporary voluntary exchanges between suitable men in the Colonial service and suitable men here might be encouraged with advantage, but beyond that I do not consider it would be well to go.

Mr. Round's objections would, of course, have to be considered by the suggested Committee, so I do not discuss them.

24th November..

J. A.

23rd November.

W. H. M.

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