MOTION FOR A SELECT COMMITTEE. (Hansard, 21 April 1871)

§ MR. BAILLIE COCHRANE

, in rising to move for the appointment of a Select Committee to inquire into the working of the Colonial Governors' Pension Act, said, that as the hon. Member for Leith (Mr. Macfie) intended shortly to bring the whole question of the relations of the mother country and the Colonies before the House he should not go into the general question, and in acknowledgment of the courtesy which had been shown him by the Prime Minister his remarks on his own specific Motion should be brief, so as not to delay the Government going into Supply. The House might not be aware—for he was sorry to say that it did not take much interest in colonial questions—that the only link which now remained to remind the Colonies of their connection with the mother country, since the withdrawal of the troops, consisted in the power of the Imperial Government to appoint the Governors, who, strange as it might seem, had no pensions up to the year 1865. In that year he introduced a Bill for the purpose of giving pensions to retiring Governors, which Bill was taken out of his hands by the right hon. Gentleman, now Secretary of State for War, and passed in such a form that he scarcely recognized it when it had became an Act of Parliament. Still, though not entirely adequate to the occasion, the Act was a great boon to the Colonies, for though the House generally took but little interest in the matter, the Colonial Secretaries and Under Secretaries had always, so far as he knew, shown the greatest interest in all questions appertaining to their Department. The appointment of colonial Governors had been made most impartially. The late Government had the good fortune to secure the services, as colonial Governors, of such men as Sir James Fergusson, Mr. Du Cane, and Lord Belmore; while the present Government, in appointing the Marquess of Norman by, who, in addition to his other qualifications, had the advantage 1516 of Parliamentary experience, had taken a course which must commend itself to all persons who took an interest in the Colonies. But in order to induce men of position to accept colonial Governorships they must be treated fairly, and an interest shown in them and their position. It would scarcely be credited that of more than 70 Governors, only eight or nine had benefited by the Act of 1865, the amount of their retiring pensions being £7,070 a-year. There was a list of 62 colonial Governors who had served 17 years, and did not receive a sixpence of the money of the country. Formerly nearly every colonial Governor was a half-pay officer, who, when his period of service expired, fell back upon his half-pay; but, at the present time, the offices were filled by civilians, who, unless they possessed private fortunes, had absolutely nothing to live upon when they returned from the Colonies, on the expiration of their term of office, at a time of life when it was too late for them to enter any other profession, a fact which would deter good men from accepting appointments. By the Act of 1865 no Governor could receive a pension until he was 60 years of age. A Return, for which he had moved, gave a list of 51 ex-Governors residing in this country who received no pension, at all. It would hardly be believed that Sir George Grey had served in South Australia, New Zealand, and the Cape for 25 years and seven months, but because he was not actually 60 years of age he was not now receiving one penny of public money. The case of Lieutenant General Sir J. G. Le Marchant was still stronger. He had served in Nova Scotia and Malta for 17 years and three months, but because he had not completed 18 years he could receive no pension. The case of Mr. Norman Macdonald was also a hard one. There was a clause in the Act by which, if a person had served 12 years in a civil capacity and eight years as Governor, he should receive a pension of £500 a-year. Mr. N. Macdonald had served as Governor of Sierra Leone for six years and nine months, and a further period of 12 years in a civil capacity; but although he had served 18 years and nine months he did not receive a pension of £500, but only £200, to which he was entitled for civil service. The Return kept out of view that he was not Colonial Secretary, but Governor of 1517 Sierra Leone, when he retired. Another most distinguished man was Sir Philip Wodehouse, who had served 18 years in Honduras, British Guiana, and the Cape. He received no pension because he was not 60. He wondered the limit was not fixed at 70, for then there would be no demand for pensions at all. The case of Sir E. D. Hay, who had served 22 years, was also of a similar character. Mr. Dundas again, who had been a Member of that House, neither got an appointment nor a pension. What he desired was a Select Committee, in order that the working of the Act might be fairly known, and that justice might be done to eminent public servants. His idea was that every man who had served six years as Governor of a Colony should have a kind of half-pay, or retaining fee, of about £300 a-year. He did not wish this to be regarded as a profession in which a man was to receive promotion by being removed from one Colony to another, for it was ridiculous to carry out such a system with regard to the qualities of the Governor, or the requirements of the Colony; but it was desirable he should not fall into penury when he returned home, and the retaining fee would not preclude him from obtaining employment, if he were thought to be the best man to fill a particular vacancy. It would enable them to maintain their status as gentlemen, and would add little to the expense of the country. He was almost ashamed to state the small amount the retired Governors would receive, if his suggestion were adopted. Taking six years of service as entitling them to an allowance of £300, there were only 33 ex-Governors who would receive it, and the whole amount would not exceed £9,900. If the term of service were prolonged to nine years, there would be only 18 who could claim the retaining fee, and the total amount would not exceed £5,400. Even the Chancellor of the Exchequer would not, he thought, refuse to do justice to these servants of the Crown at so small an expenditure. At one time our colonial Governorships were regarded as a refuge for the destitute. Recent Governments had of late tried to elevate them, and the appointments were now excellent. The Governors were the only link between the mother country and the Colony, and he confidently hoped that the Under Secretary for the Colonies 1518 would entertain his proposal. The way in which they were treated seemed to indicate a perfect indifference to the interests of the Colonies. He was sure the Government could not do better than entertain his proposal; and he felt confident that if he were not precluded by the rules of the House from dividing on the Motion, the majority of hon. Members present would accompany him into the Lobby. He should not press his Motion to a Division; but would move pro formâ that a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the working of the Colonial Governors' Pensions Act.

§ MR. KNATCHBULL - HUGESSEN

said, he was quite ready to admit that whatever praise could be bestowed upon the Act of 1865 was due to the action of the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Baillie Cochrane.) The measure was a child of the hon. Gentleman's; but he seemed to suspect that it had been changed at nurse. For his own part, he should have said the Act was working as well as could have been expected; but his hon. Friend, like an unnatural parent, wished to place it out at nurse and commit it to the tender mercies of a Select Committee. He feared that the result of a reference to a Committee, in the terms proposed, would not necessarily be in accordance with the views and wishes of the hon. Member. The case with which the Act was passed might be attributed to the indifference of the House to colonial subjects, of which the hon. Gentleman complained. The Bill was not introduced without the serious consideration of two Departments; one of which was charged with the conduct of colonial affairs, and the other with the protection of the Revenue from unfair charges. It was pointed out at the time, that they would by the Act draw more closely the administrative connection between the Colonies and the mother country, just at the period when they had begun to recognize, and Colonies to appreciate, the advantages of self-reliance and self-government. It was also remarked that there had been no diffi- 1519 culty without the inducement of a pension in obtaining proper persons for these appointments. Moreover, it was said—as he thought justly—that the introduction of the measure would have a tendency to make the service continuous, and to give Governors a claim to gradual promotion irrespective of merit, instead of leaving those who were responsible for appointments to find the best man for each Colony. If the Act was now referred to a Select Committee, not only would the improvements suggested by the hon. Member be discussed, but the principle of the measure, and all the considerations he had mentioned would be taken into account, and it was possible that instead of improving the position of those whom the hon. Gentleman sought to benefit, the result of the inquiry would be to their disadvantage. The Government were willing to admit that the Governor should not be regarded as merely a servant of the Colony, but should be considered as a link between the Colony and the mother country. He had no wish to disturb existing arrangements. The hon. Member thought the age of 60 was too advanced an age to be fixed as the limit at which a Governor could receive a pension; but there was a provision in the Act, under which a person suffering from disease or infirmity, incurred in the administration of his Government, would, irrespective of age, be entitled to a pension. By giving a man under 60 years of age, in the full vigour of his life, a claim to a pension, a considerable additional charge would be entailed upon the public Revenue, and he did not think it was called for by the necessities of the case. He could not go into the details of all the cases mentioned by the hon. Gentleman; but he would point out one or two errors which he had committed with regard to General Sir J. G. Le Marchant and Sir Philip Wodehouse. The time had not arrived when they could claim a pension when the return was drawn up, but both had now done so and their claims had been admitted. [Mr. BAILLIE COCHRANE: Yes, within the last two months.] No doubt the allowances had only been made recently. The Act might, however, be improved in one respect. At present a Governor who had served 18 years received the full rate of pension, and a Governor who had served 12 years 1520 might have a reduced rate of two-thirds; but a gentleman having served up to 17 years was still not entitled to claim more than that reduced amount. Some alteration in the shape of a gradually increasing rate in proportion to the term of service was desirable. The question was under consideration, and if an arrangement of that kind could be made without involving an increased charge upon the Revenue it should be done. In that way, cases of hardship which did exist would be met. He hoped the hon. Member would allow his Motion to be negatived, and leave the matter in the hands of the Colonial Office, with the assurance that they would be the first to redress any wrong which could be removed without causing a still greater evil.