§ 61. Sir WALTER de FRECEasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies the total shortage of civil servants in all the different colonial services under his Department; and whether he has any evidence that such shortage is attributable to the high standard of the examination?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREMy hon. Friend no doubt refers to a statement made by me at the opening of the new premises of the Malay States Information Agency on the 18th November, which related specifically to the difficulty of obtaining sufficient candidates for the Administrative Service in Malaya, and not to any shortage in the Colonial Services generally. I believe that the shortage in Malaya is mainly due to the fact that the attractions of a career in that service are not fully appreciated. There is no 22 evidence to show that it is due to the high standard of the examination, which remains the same as in previous years.