The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-06-19 00:00:00

FRIDAY.

COLONIAL GRANTs.—In answer to a question, Mr. PEEL
said that there was no intention of altering the arrangements
regarding the grant of lands as an inducement to persons to
enlist in the regular army, nor had any offer of such grants
been made to Swiss and German recruits joining the Foreign
Legion; but it had been suggested to the Governor-General
of Canada that it would facilitate recruiting if the Colonial
Legislature would enable us to make such offers. He was not,
however, aware that any act had been passed by the Colonial
Parliament for this purpose. With regard to the officers of
the regular army, an abatement in the price of Crown lands
in the colonies was now allowed to those who wished to
purchase. . .
ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM.—Mr. LAYARD moved the
following resolution :—" That this house views with deep and
increasing concern the state of the nation, and is of opinion
that the manner in which merit and efficiency have been
sacrificed, in public appointments, to party and family influ-
ences, and to a blind adherence to routine, has given rise to
great misfortunes, and threatens to bring discredit upon the
national character, and to involve the country in grave disas-
ters." It could not be denied that there was a general feeling
abroad that there was something wrong in our administrative
system ; and it would be for the government to show that it
was incorrect, and that the different branches of the public
service were properly administered. He denied that he medi-
tated an attack upon the aristocracy. All he wanted to see
was that every man should have a fair chance to raise himself
in the public service ; but the feeling out of doors
was that this could not be, on account of obstructions
arising, to a great extent, if not entirely, from party
or family feelings ; if this impression was not justifiable,
it was proper that the house should remove it.—Sir
S. NORTHCOTE, observing that Mr. Layard had not pointed
out any effectual remedy for the evils he had exposed in the
civil service, dwelt upon the practical difficulties with which
heads of departments in that service had to contend in any
endeavour to improve their system or to advance efficient men.
There must be, he said, some fixed system of routine on
which offices were to be conducted, in order to make them
work. The fundamental faults of the existing system of
routine were connected not only with the appointment of the
men, but with the working good men when they were got,
which was conducted upon the worst possible system. The
plan he would suggest to meet many of the objections to
the present system of the civil service was that which
had been proposed by Sir C. Trevelyan and himself, which
included division of labour and appointment by competition.
The civil service could not be effectually improved without an '
alteration of its tone and morale ; the great bane of patron-
age must be got rid of, and a fair system of appointment by
competition would introduce a very different tone into the
service.—Mr. GOWER said he entirely concurred in the prin-
ciple that appointments should be conferred upon merit, but
it was incumbent on those who advocated administrative
reform, not only to make clear the objects they had in view,
but the means by which they proposed to attain their end.—
Mr. PEACOCRE, after a general censure of Whig administra-
tions, supported the motion, which, he said, was no attack
upon the aristocracy, though it might be an attack upon a
coterie, liberals in name, but oligarchs in reality; it embodied
the national wish and expressed the national feeling.—Mr.
GLADSTONE thought the adoption either of Mr. Layard's
motion, or of the amendment of which Sir B. Lytton had
given notice, was not desirable. He did not believe that the
evil of nepotism affected the aristocracy more than any other
class, and he was not prepared to join in what would be a
delusion of the country. He objected altogether to the prac-
tice of embodying in a resolution of that House general,
abstract, and ambiguous propositions. By thus paying the
people off with promises, instead of performances, the
House would lose their confidence, and with the confidence
of the people it would lose the power of discharging its duties.—
Sir E. B. LYTTON moved, as an amendment, " that this house
recommends to the earliest attention of Her Majesty's Minis-
ters the necessity of a careful revision of our various official es-
tablishments, with a view to simplify and facilitate the trans-
action of public business; and, by instituting judicious tests
of merit, as well as by removing obstructions to its fair pro-
motion and legitimate rewards, to secure to the service of the
State the largest available proportion of the energy and
intelligence for which the people of this country are distin-
guished." It was worth while, he thought, to observe the
date when the cry for administrative reform burst upon the
country, which was shortly after the accession of Lord Pal-
merston to the premiership—au event that had created
expectations which had not been fulfilled, and the people
thought there was no use in trusting to Ministers. He held,
therefore, the noble viscount responsible for this cry. The
unhappy direction given to this movement out of doors had
in it something more dangerous than to any government
or to the aristocracy ; it threatened the fundamental
principles of representative government. —The CHAN-
CELLOR of the ExcaggEß said the motion of Mr. Lay-
ard embodied not only the subject of administrative reform,
but a vote of want of confidence in Her Majesty's Ministers,
which, if adopted, would lead ,to their resignation. He con-

tended that in a popular government it was impossible alto-
gether to exempt appointments from party or political influ-
ence, and, with respect to family connections, persons could
not be excluded from office on account of their connection
with the aristocracy. A motion for adjournment was carried
by 242 to 31, and the debate was adjourned till Monday.
The Consolidated Fund (£10,000,000) passed through com-
mittee.

BILLS or LADING (No. 2) BILL.--The house went into
committee on this bill. Clauses 1,2, and 3 were aggreed to.
On clause 4 some discussion having arisen, Mr. HENLEY moved
that the chairman report progress, which was agreed to,
and the house resumed.
The house adjourned at half-past one o'clock.