In the House of Lords on Tuesday Lord Camperdown raised
the question of the appointment of Mr. Thomas Wilson as Sub-Commissioner by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland. Mr. Wilson had previously been a Liberal election agent, and had now been given the maximum salary of £700 per annum, while the other Sub-Commissioner was receiving only £550. Lord Willingdon, on behalf of the Government, did not deny the facts, which, however, did not show that Mr. Wilson was an inefficient man. He had, on the contrary, an inti- mate knowledge of questions connected with small holdings. His previous salary had been over £700 a year, and as he was fifty-six he could not have many years of service. Lord Lansdowne remarked upon the need for keeping a vigilant eye upon such appointments, since up to last July the Government had made 4,200 appointments necessitated by legislation passed since 1906 with an average salary of £1,000 a year. About two-thirds of them were filled without examinations. It was to be hoped that the greatest possible care would be taken in filling up appointments involving important quasi-judicial duties.
Previous page
