CO129-375 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [1-2] — Page 20

17

their viewa to you, but I did not fully concur in them. Ar Bre-in was the senior officer who had any aptitude for the post. He was an officer of great merit and ability who would very keenly feel being rassed over by a man of half his service, and his excellent work entitled him to recognition. If his physique was equal to the work (which I doubted) he had strong claims. They had, I understood, opposed his appointment on the ground that he was too"pro- Chinese", ae Registrar General I pointed out that it was officially his duty to take the Chinese point

of view, but I believed him to be a mix who if he

held a more responsible gwaitinx and larger office

would take correspondingly large views, and in this

opinion Sir leury day who had known him for 20 years

concurred. As regards är Clementi I endorsed all

they had said, de dombinod great ability with exception

al industry and rapidity, and had as Assistant Colonial

Lecretary a long training in and knowledge of the

Looretariat work, as regards ir Sercombe Smith I

informed them that the Chinese lumbers of Council

had told me that if he were appointed they would find

it necessary to resign their aesta on the Council as

they had found hin an impossible man to work with.

i dight personally prevail upon them not to take this

step,

but if they insisted it would be most difficult

to replace them, and what they had said was an indica-

tion of the depth of feeling against the appointment

which was held by the Chinese. Sir Paul Chator had

at first associated himself with them in recommending

Er Brovin.

3

After very careful consideration

I had decided to recommend the appointment of A

Brewin

Z