§ 67. Mr. STEWARTasked the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether, seeing that the Colonial Office service abroad is to a large extent manned by gentlemen who have to pass a qualifying examination entailing a stiff educational test, he will say whether on entering the service there is an implied understanding that such officers have open to them the senior appointments in the Colonial service as they fall vacant; if not, will he arrange that all candidates are so informed before becoming engulfed in a service with little or no outlook; and will he say how many Governors and Administrators are now serving under the Colonial Office, and how many of these gentlemen have entered the service through competitive examination?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Lieut.-Colonel Amery)The Civil Services of Ceylon, the Straits Settlements and Malay States and Hong Kong are largely staffed by cadets selected by open competitive examination. With certain exceptions, which include the Governorships and Colonial Secretaryships, the senior posts in these Dependencies are filled by selection from the cadet officers. There is no other implied understanding as regards the prospects of these officers; and in Lord Milner's opinion, and that of previous Secretaries of State, it would not be possible, without grave injustice to officers of the still larger services of other Colonies, and without unduly narrowing the field of selection, to lay it down that these officers, who have good prospects in the Civil Services of their own Colonies, should also have a preferential claim to Governorships and similar senior appointments, there and elsewhere. Apart from the self-governing Dominions and three Military Governorships, the number of 243 Governorships and Administratorships in the Colonial Service may be stated as thirty-five, some of which, of course, would afford no financial advantage to officers from the Eastern Colonies. Four of these posts, namely, the Governorships of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Leeward Islands, and Weihaiwei, are filled by officers who originally entered the public service as junior officers in the Eastern Dependencies. Of the remaining thirty-one, twenty-five are held by officers who have been selected from other branches of the Colonial Service outside the Eastern Dependencies referred to.
§ Mr. STEWARTAm I to gather that officers from the Eastern Service arc ruled out for other Service appointments outside?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYI said that four Governorships outside, including Governorships of such importance as Nigeria and Sierra Leone, are held by officers who originally entered the Service in the Eastern Colonies.
§ Mr. STEWARTIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the very small percentage of the number of appointments is a great discouragement to these officers.