The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

300 LIFE OF SIR ROWLAND HILL. [1855-9
merit. This change obviously involved great improvement
in the quality of the persons thus entrusted with
powers and duties of no small importance to the public.
In the provincial offices a corresponding improvement
was, in great measure, secured by delegating the power
of appointing their subordinates, under certain restric-
tions, to the respective postmasters ; who, being them-
selves responsible for the good working of their offices,
were naturally led to such selection as would best
conduce to that end. This delegation, so far as
related to clerks, was made, as already mentioned, on
the recommendation of the Civil Service Commis-
sioners ; and, the trust being satisfactorily exercised,
was subsequently extended to the appointment of
letter-carriers also.
Of the inconveniences arising from confining ad-
mission to the service to candidates passing the Civil
Service examinations, of which I have already spoken,
some evidence is given by the following extract from a
Report of Mr. Abbott, secretary
Scotland :
to the Post Office in
" Considering the different duties of the account, the secretary's,
and the sorting branches, I am inclined to believe that the examination
should have more special reference to the vacancy the candidate is to
fill than to his general knowledge on certain subjects proposed for all
in the same class ; more especially as regards persons nominated
to the sorting office, where manual dexterity, quick sight, and
physical activity, are more valuable than mere educational acquirements."
*
But, whatever might be the amount of inconvenience
that in the first appointment arose from neglect of such
criteria, the system of promotion by merit, being regulated
entirely by reference to official services, was
found to work exceedingly well. From the different
* "Third Report," p. 28.