§ 41. Mr. STEWARTasked the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether the recent appointment of a senior official of the Home Civil Service to a first-class Colonial governorship is an indication that the Government consider that they have no officer in the Colonial service capable of filling such an appointment; and whether, if, as at present obtains, Colonial appointments are open to the Naval and Military Departments, and also to home Government Departments, he could arrange for some interchangeability between the Colonial service and home Departments so that the authorities at home should get to know their own Colonial officials personally and so afford their Colonial officials, if deprived of the prizes of their own service, at least some relaxation from the severe climates that they have to live in by being granted periods of service in home Government Departments in England?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Lieut. - Colonel Amery)I hope my hon. Friend will not draw any such inference as he suggests from the appointment in question. Colonial governorships have always been open to other services besides the Colonial service, and any attempt to narrow the field of selection would be open to serious objection in the interests of the efficiency of the public service. I entirely agree with my hon. Friend that there would be many advantages in establishing a system of interchange between the home and the Colonial services. The possibility of doing so has been often under consideration, but the difficulties are very great.
§ Mr. STEWARTIn view of the fact that the Colonial Secretaryship of Ceylon has recently been given to an Admiralty official, will the hon. Gentleman do his best to prevent the Colonies becoming the dumping ground for other Government Departments to the detriment of the officers of his own Department?