The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

250 LIFE OF SIR ROWLAND HILL. [1851-4
exception, highly
Government"
creditable to the Commissioners and to the
As I feared, the plan of competitive examination
worked unsatisfactorily, the criteria not being the best,
and the responsibility being so divided that no one is
in effect answerable for an appointment made under it.
The consequence of its adoption has been in many
instances the rejection of men who gave promise of
great usefulness, and the admission of others whose
usefulness has proved very small. If no way had
been open to the public service but through compe-
titive examination, as now conducted, I cannot say
what might have been my own chance of admission ;
since, on the plan adopted, no amount of knowledge
or power in other departments is regarded as making
up for deficiency in certain prescribed subjects. Under
such a system neither George Stephenspn nor Brindley
would have passed examination as an engineer ; nor,
perhaps, would even Napoleon or Wellington have
been admitted to any military command. The principle,
if sound, must be equally applicable to manufacturing
and commercial establishments ; but I have
heard of none that have adopted it. Indeed, a
I believe most
wealthy merchant lately declared (and
of his brethren would agree with him) that if he had
no clerks but such as were chosen for him by others,
his name would soon be in the Gazette. I have
always been of opinion that the more the appointments
to the Post Office, and indeed to other public
departments, are regulated on the principles ordi-
narily ruling in establishments conducted by private
individuals, the better it will be for the public service.
The question to be decided between candidates should
be, I think, simply which is best fitted for the duties
to be performed, and the decision should be left to