The first important change in the internal organization of the Colonial Office came in 1853-1854 with the Northcote-Trevelyan
Commission. The commissioners, investigating the Colonial Office as well as other branches of government, focused their attention on patron
age in the civil service and attempted to determine whether or not greater efficiency could be achieved if appointments were made by means of com petitive examinations. The result was a compromise for the Colonial Office largely because of Merivale's testimony to the Commission against
40
the use of formal examinations. Only a limited form of competition
was adopted by the Office and then only for the lower ranks, not the higher. Merivale’s testimony to the commissioners was equivocal. He believed that if competition was introduced to the civil service the "abuse of patronage would be altogether destroyed." Nevertheless, he refused to say to what extent patronage really "injures the Public Service . This
54-
fonn of competition for positions would, if established, not ensure that the clerks would be better qualified for their jobs because the work could only be learned through practice. It was a boring and
tedious business because the copying of despatches required perseverance rather than originality. The important point he cautioned was that the l,motive,, for a candidate applying to the civil service was to make a "...livelihood:, and from no other motive. They go in to obtain a certain income, rising gradually, there is no lottery — no expectation of prizes. The scant possibilities of what are called 'staff1 appoint ments, or removal to some other and better paid sphere of action are, as all acquainted with the Civil Service know, hardly admissible into the calculation. 11 In the Colonial Office, for example, it took at least twenty years before a clerk would reach a salary of £ 4 0 0
a
year# but Merivale noted that they were not "underpaid" compared with other departments. He concluded by advocating "a very much modified system of competition". Appointments to the Colonial Office should be left in the hands of the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the latter should encourage applications and compile a list. When a vacancy occurred the place should be filled by means of a 1 fair competition" preferably by an "independent body".In 1855 Henry Labouchere, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, adopted Merivale!s recommendations and introduced a mixed system of patronage and merit with competitive examinations for junior clerks. Appointments to positions of responsibility such as assistant or per- manent undersecretaryships remained a matter of patronage. Early in 1856 Merivale confessed to Labouchere his doubts as to the efficacy
of this scheme. The major drawback, he argued, was the manner in which the business of the Office was conducted:
... Division of labour is not practised in our office — probably not in other offices -- as it ought to be. If we possessed a clerk with that not very uncommon faculty, a capacity for accounts, and
a taste for them, he would be invaluable. To him we should submit the numerous & often ravelled questions which arise on colonial estimates. At present, these, when of importance, are generally referred to Mr. Strachey, the precis writer, who is able to deal with them very effectually: but we want to have him assisted, &
there is, I fear, scarcely anyone capable of doing so. But one good accountant would serve our turn to exact of every candidate he should be a good accountant would be very superfluous, and deprive us of good m e n ...
All this arises from the extremely miscellaneous character of our work: which you will appreciate, but which I doubt whether the examiners thoroughly do. This is the great difficulty in the way of any system of examination being of much real service to us. . By 1860 he was less reserved in his comments. In the last five years he admitted that the appointments had produced "on the whole" a "superior class" of clerks than ever before. Nevertheless, he maintained that the chief criterion should be that of intellect: "Taken all things to-
43
gether, the man with the better brain will be the better man." This dictum should not be taken too literally because Merivale used his position at the Colonial Office to obtain posts in the civil service
44
for his friends and even his son.
Patronage within the Colonial Office was also present in the Office s relationship to individuals and departments m Britain and in the colonies. White colonists who promoted the interests of the British Empire were
sometimes given "honours" or material rewards for their services and there were even a few cases of nepotism. Many colonial governors received their initial appointment because of their friendship with the Secretary of State for the Colonies or Merivale. For example, Sir George Bowen, was appointed to the governorship of Queensland largely due to
56
Merivalefs intercession on his behalf. 46 r™ , .
The problem was exacer bated by the fact that there was, at least in the early and mid-Vic torian period, a dearth of qualified candidates to undertake positions of responsibility in the civil service at home or overseas.4^ Any appointment w a s , however, dependent upon the ability of the person once in office.
The chief criterion in the Colonial Office for promotion was merit. While few clerks were ever fired, it was difficult for anyone who did not possess exceptional ability to be promoted. If anything, by the late 1850's, the office had fallen seriously behind other departments in salary increases because, as Merivale minuted:
... 1. The constitution of the office, being composed of many more juniors & fewer seniors, relatively, than other offices: which makes promotion relatively slow: 2. The accidental cir cumstance that the office was formed, about 1824, by appointing together a number of young men of the same age: You will observe that (after Mr. Smith) the next nine gentlemen were appointed almost simultaneously. All the rest are considerably their juniors: & kept from rising by the number thus stationed over their heads ... .
This condition of the office has been recognized by suc cessive Secretaries of State, but the very rapid succession in that office of late years has prevented its being seriously considered.
Merivale supported the petition by his clerks, interceded on their behalf with the Secretary of State and gained from the Treasury the funds necessary to augment their salaries. He argued that the Colonial Office was losing many competent individuals because of these conditions. After a "paper war" with the Treasury Merivale, having nothing to gain materially for himself, stood by his colleagues and their salaries were increased. 48 For the most part he adopted the same attitude with re-
49