CO129-491 - Public Offices - 1925 — Page 406

353

long in one place. Apparently the Cadet Officers are

very rarely moved even the more Senior ones and in the

few known cases the Officer sooner or later returns to

Hongkong.

Some have been here for twenty eight years. It

is not as though there were different Provinces to which

they could be sent from time to time as is the case with Civil Servants in India, Ceylon, the Straits etc.. Imagine it' In one place the whole time. No wonder

they become narrow and selfcentred. Too well they know

each other's good points, foibles and weaknesses inside out. Nothing is private. Such a state does not seem to

be conducive to the best interests of Government. Take

the history of Sir Henry May, Cadet Officer and later

Colonial Secretary of Hongkong, Governor of Fiji. Returned to Hongkong as Governor. Given an extension of his Governorship in Hongkong. Ruling the same people he had grow up with from young manhood. Such a man was

bound to have favourites and enemies. Was it wise?

did it prove to be of good for the Colony generally?

Sir Claud Severn has been Colonial Secretary of

Hongkong since 1913. Surely too long a period however good the man. But one asks is he considered able? If

so one would have thought he would have been offered a

better Colonial Secretaryship or even Governorship. If

not considered wise and able then why should such an

important place as Hongkong have to put up with the same

man fortwelve years.

The Colonial Secretary himself has probably lost

heart and has sunk into a state of apathy which leads to

another wrong being allowed that is the case of the

Assistant Colonial Secretary.

Mr.