CO129-612-5 Administrative Service- proposal to increase establishment 10-1-1945 - 11-2-1949 — Page 40

CONFIDENTIAL

54265/4/48

? Terrell

While the

7

COLONIAL SECRETARIAT,

HONG KONG.

7th June, 1948.

39

When Sidchsthan,

This letter deals with the results of the Travelling Colonial Service Appointments Board which visited us early in the year.

I meant to try to have a word with you about it when you were here but you were kept busy with other things and I did not find an opportunity.

27313/29/48

The Board's recommendations, approved by the Secretary of State, were sent to us in Savingram 260 dated March 18th which informed us that J. Cater and M. D. A. Clinton had been turned down for the administrative service, although the former was noted for consideration in connection with any future "co-operative" vacancy.

The failure of Cater and Clinton to secure permanent appointments caused some surprise though it is generally realised that the Travelling Board is the best judge of such things. Both of these youngsters have done excellent work over the last two years and they seemed the right sort of material upon which to build the future of the service. It is possible that, since both are by temperament inclined to pleasant modesty, neither quite did himself justice before the Board. They both confessed to extreme nervousness at the interview and indeed one of them was in the throes of malaria without knowing it.

The purpose of this letter is really to say that if Clinton and Cater maintain their past and present standard of work and behaviour we shall probably want in due course to avail ourselves of the discretion given in the last sentence of the

273/3/29/47 second paragraph of the Secretary of State's telegram 1414 of

September 3rd, 1947, to reopen their cases. That will, of course depend on the performance of the men themselves in the future: if, as seems likely, they keep up the standards they have

accustomed us to expect, we shall in justice have to re-submit their claims in due time.

J. B. Sidebotham, Esq., C.M.G.

Colonial Office,

LONDON, S.W.1.

Your siank

Ohut

м.

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