Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-06
DIRECTOR 'WAsHDURN
Of the Philippine Civil Service
Talks.
INDIAN SERVICE COMPARED
Latter is an Ideal System and Gets
the Best Men.
OUR OWN COLONIAL SERVICE
Is Little Higher Than at Home
The Filipinos Are Excellent
Men.
OUR OWN COLONIAL SERVICE

MT william s. Washburn, for several
years the director of the civil service In
the Philippines. has Just returned to Wash
ington, where he will take long rest. Mr.
Washburn Is a resident of Washington and
has been back here once in his f1ve-year
tour OF duty In the islands. When returning
this time he left Manila in January, and
has since been coming slowly westward
with Mrs. Washburn. stopping in India
Egypt and Europe, taking more than three
months for the trip home
In speaking to a Star reporter Of his trip
Mr.. Washburn said that the most interest
ing part of the home journey to him was
the stop in India, as 1t gave him q chance
to see at close range the working of the
Indian civil service. which he considers
almost an ideal system for colonial gov
ernment.
1T seemed to me- said Mr. Washburn
that the English system brought the very
best talent of the country into the serv-
Ice. That, of course. is what we would
like to do In the Philippines, but the de-
yelopment probably viii take long time
and there is no telling what changes of
policy a change of administration might
make.
Difference in the Indian Civil Service.
The primary difference of the Indian
civil service from ours is that It is a serv-
Ice which Will furnish a career for a man
of ability, as the army or navy would
do II pays enough in the higher branches
to be financially attractive to a high-class
man. And there is the retired pay at the
end OF the service It's standing is 1ust
as great in India as that OF the army or
the navy, and perhaps the pay In the
higher branches is larger. OF course the
pay is not large at the start. The positions
are ali filled by examination-I think by
connective he
ton is IN virtue of a mans personal ajbil-
ity. When It comes to the higher Offices
such as commissioners and vice governors
and governors, the pay is very large, from
our point OF view, and II makes the position
we'll worth working for.
The result Is that the service at the
top is filled with some of the best men
1t would be possible to obtain-men OF ed
ucauon primarily men who know India
and men of great executive ability and tact
In dealing with all sorts of problems The
WY best blood OF England goes in for
the Indian civil service examinations, and
they have the pick of a fine lot of men
to choose from.
"Of course, with the high salaries the
large establishment and the retired pay,
which amounts, IL / remember, to about
half or two-thirds of the salary roll. 1t
makes an enormous burden for the coun-
try to carry. But IT gets good men, and
they give the country good government.
That is the main point. They support
ed out of the revenues of the country, as
Is also the Indian army, and, to more
limited extent the navy. India means the
empire, and the object OF the government
IS not to make 1t a source of revenue but
primarily to give 1t good administra ton
as whole. knowing that whatever con-
duces to the good of the country is for
the good of the whole empire.
Our Own Colonial Service
Now, looking at our colonial service. We
have. of course, not reached the point OF
development that the English have come
to in hundreds OF years OF colonial man
agement. But 1 think l may say without
injustice that the average of the service
in the Philippines is a little higher in
every way than at home. We have good
men, some excellent men, but the service
is not such as to make 1t life career
for a of great ability. The pay is
small, and there Is no retired pay or civil
pension at the end of the service. Now
the pay abroad ought to be higher than at
home. The actual expenses are higher and
there is certain amount of extra compen-
cation coming to a man for compelling
him to live permanently abroad.
But l think that the civil service In
the Islands is developing along the right
lines. l know that if had no other per
sonal obligations l would be willing to go
see what could be made out of it.
A.t now there is an era of retrench-
ment and reform. Expenses are being cut
down as much as they can be in all de-
partments, and, with the development that
has been made, we do things to some
extent. The mestzo Is bright many Of
them well educated, and they make excel
lent clerks. There Is no need for keeping
a big force of American clerks there for
work which the natives can do perfectly
well. Thus the force of Americans can
be reduced gradually In the lower branches
and the places filed by natives who are
competent to do the work But for the
administrative positions we ought to have
the very best men. their tenure ought to
be sure and they should be well paid
II has not yet been decided as to Mr..
Washburns future course. He has had
q long tour of duty in Manila and In addi-
ton to his regular holiday he was granted
a long furlough. Whether when 1t Is up
he will return to the islands Is a ques-
ton for later Developments