"TEMPORARY" APPOINTMENTS.

Observer, Volume XXIX, Issue 12, 5 December 1908, Page 2

"TEMPORARY" APPOINTMENTS.

The Education Board's Methods

FOLLOWING the example of " Punch's " dear old lady who

used to acclaim the virtues of "that blessed word ' Mesopotamia.' " more than one of our public bodies appears to be inclined to worship that blessed word "temporary" when applied to appointments. The Government itself is a particularly miserable sinner in that respect, and the smaller public bodies seem determined to emulate the Government example, or perish in the attempt. The natural result is that business in ' ' temporary ' ' appointments is booming, a state of affairs that is not pleasant to contemplate from a public point of view, however much it may be appreciated by the lucky recipients of those appointments.

A short time ago, Mr Vincent Rice, secretary to the Board of Ji.aucation, was granted a long holiday in order to enable him to visit England. Naturally, it was necessary to appoint a locum tenens to discharge the secretarial duties in Mr Rice's absence. The reasonable assumption was that Mr Ray, who has been chief clerk to the Board of Education for a great number of years, would have been appointed to the position. By right of seniority as well as by that of ability the position was his just due. The Board, however,, for some reason best known to themselves, calmly passed over the claims of Mr Ray, and appointed Mr Crowe, a school inspector, to the position.

Mr Crowe may be an excellent inspector. "We have no doubt that he is. But, if so, that only strengthens our argument that he should not have been appointed to the vacant position. Capable inspectors are not so plentiful that the Board can afford to transfer Mr Crowe from the inspectorial to the secretarial sphere. On the other hand, Mr Bay has made an excellent chief clerk. On many occasions in the past he has discharged the secretarial duties during Mr Rice's temporary absence, and he understands the . Board's business from 'A to Z. Clearly then, here

was a moat capable man to act as locum tenens to Mr Kice ; and a man whose claim to the position should have been at onoe recognised by the Board. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and Mr Crowe was appointed.

The appointment of Mr Crowe left an aching void in the inspectorial ranks, and the Board looked about for somebody to fill the void. They did not invite applications by advertisement — that procedure would have been too stereotyped and hackneyed for such a brilliantly original body to pursue. Instead, they gave the position to a Mr Plummer, who, we understand, was formerly an assistant master at Richmond Road School. Mr Plummer may be a very good assistant master. It does not necessarily follow as a natural sequence that he will make a good inspector. But whether he does or not, it would be interesting to learn upon what basis the- appointment was made.

It may fairly be taken for granted that the holiday in which. Mr Vincent Rice is now indulging is merely a preliminary to his retirement from active work. For something over thirty years, Mr Rice has given his services to the Board of Education. In. that period he has not been growing younger, so that it is not so much a hypothesis as an axiom to maintain that his retirement is imminent, if it is not already an accomplished fact. Under those circumstances, the question naturally arises : Who is to fill the secretarial chair ? The obvious inference is that Mr Crowe will be given the billet. He has already received the temporary appointment. It is highly probable that the " temporary " appointment will be made a permanent one, and that Mr Plummer's "temporary" inspectorship will also be a permanency.

As we said before, Messrs Crowe and Plummer may have been very suitable men for the billets that they held previous to their promotion to their present rank. The fact, however, remains that this temporary appointment should not be permitted to become a permanent one. When Mr Vincent Rice's position is formally declared vacant — an event which may be looked for at no distant date — his successor should be chosen by free competition ; and unless the Board of Education adopt that method they will undoubtedly stultify themselves in the eyes of all who wish to see public appointments made on a basis of ability, and not on that of influence and personality.