§ Major ARCHER-SHEEasked whether the. Foreign Secretary will consider the advisability of restricting, as far as possible, the appointment of foreign subjects as British Consuls in important centres and the replacement of the present holders of these appointments by officers of the salaried service as the appointments become vacant?
Mr. McKINNON WOODUnsalaried consular officers are appointed only at places where British commercial, or other, interests do not appear to be of sufficient importance to justify the expenditure attached to the appointment of an officer of His Majesty's salaried consular service. Any representation that an unsalaried consular officer should be replaced by a salaried consular officer at any particular post will always receive careful consideration on its merits. I may add, with regard to unsalaried consular appointments, that British subjects are invariably given the preference over candidates of foreign nationality in cases where an equally suitable candidate of British nationality is available.