THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1894, 19 March 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1880.

There is no question but that the appointment of Mr. Hawkes, junior, to the post of dispenser to the Hospital has considerably exercised the minds of many who are in the habit of probing the acts of publie bodies with a view of finding therein pabulum for a vigorous onslaught. It is, no doubt, unfortunate that Mr. Hawkes, senr., should, about the same time as the appointment, have been placed on the Hospital Board by the Government, and it is also unfortunate that Mr. Hawes, junior, should not be in possession of that valuable qualification—invaluable in many eyes—age. Much as our contemporary the " Star," in a seriesof singularlybrilliantarticles against Dr. Chilton, founded the onus of its accusation on the fact that he had not entered into his second childhood, so many others are quite incapable of understanding how a young man can be suited to any position of trust. In the question under consideration, the action of the Hospital Board is narrowed down to somewhat small limits as, we believe, the facts of the case are much as follows. On receipt of the applications for the post, the Board sent them indiscriminately to the Medical Staff, and asked them to choose three as being the best suited to the post. The Board did so, choosing one unmarried man and two married men. The wives of the married men being applicants for the matronship which was already filled up and it being doubtful in consequence if the husbands would accept the one appointment, the staff sent in two other unmarried men as a sort of supplementary list, and Mr. Hawkes' name was one of those two. As there was some question about the value of the testimony as to qualifications brought by the unmarried man in list No. 1, Mr Hawkes undoubtedly stood the highest among the unmarried candidates. For not only had he worked very satisfactorily under Mr. Pridgeon, but while the latter gentleman was acting as House Surgeon Mr. Hawkes had taken the post of dispenser to the perfect satisfaction of the Staff, a fact intimated by that body to the Board. And, it may be remarked, that such a fact must influence any body in making a choice of a similar nature, for not only is it a token that the applicant is capable of giving permanent satisfaction, but a rise given to a subordinate, if in due accordance with the interests of the public, is sure to encourage the remainder of the staff to do their duty; for if subordinates are considered ipso facto incapable of rising, discouragement is likely to creep in among the rank and file. The Board, taking all the circumstances into consideration, then appointed Mr Hawkes, jun., the fact that the Staff had recommended him being their eyes a guarantee that the public would not suffer thereby. Whether they acted rightly or wrongly in so doing it ?s most difficult to say without a careful examination of all the certificates, but apparently it was a perfectly bona Jlde transaction, and the Board were not prompted by any corrupt motives whatsoever. The fact of his father being on the Board should surely not have militated against the chances of Mr. Hawkes, jun.; nor should . thn .bare fact that Ida io juung. Had no Mr. Hawkes, sen., been on the Board, and had Mr Hawke's, jun., been bald, grey, or decrepid, no ob jection would possibly have been raised. The Board was apparently bound to take the dictum of the staff as to qualifications into consideration, and an unmarried man being preferred—the unmarried candidate in List No. 1 being thought ineligible—it made the choice it did. Those gentlemen who have " smelt a rat" in the affair may possibly have some ground on which to stand, but when the facts are studied it seems much more probable that they are off the track.