POTTERERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4559, 30 October 1875, Page 1 (Supplement)

POTTERERS.

(From Broad Arrow) ' There are certain men who, like some horses, have the appearance o£ going at full gallop, but have merely the pace of a slow canter. Such men always seem to be busy, they are always at work, and like everyone else at work, but the result of all their labors is nil. These persons are much opposed to recreation, which they consider waste of valuable time, and usually assert that they have too much to do to allow of their indulging in this or that. Men who are thus remarkable, are aptly termed “ Potterers,” and as we have seen much of this genus, and unfortunately have on many occasions had to do business with them, we know them to be not only obstacles to progress, but decidedly most dangerous to those who are more intelligent and business- : .like. ■ Whilst Potterers may differ in details, they have a singular similitude in general characteristics, the position in which they may have been placed and their early training influencing their minor peculiarities only so that a description of a Potterer in one position will differ from it in another only in minute details. Some years ago we were brought in contact with a very good specimen of a Potterer. He was a colonel commanding, and of course was attended by an adjutant and other members of his staff. He used to attend at his office at eleven o’clock, would read and re-read every document and letter, sometimes putting them aside for several minutes, as if to collect his thoughts; and then taking them up and re-readingthem. If one of these letters required ' anwering, he would deliberately mend a pen, for he always used a quill (most Potterers do),’ and having tried this pen, would, com- ; mence writing his answer. This answer would occupy ,au intelligent person perhaps ten minutes, but the above specimen would pass three-quarters of an hour, writing, erasing, interlining,. and scratching out. He would then request a fair copy of this document to be written, which not unusually failed to satisfy him, as some sentence would be altered, and the letter require re-writing. When again presented to him, it would be microscopically examined, and then placed in his desk for further consideration. By the next morning a new idea would occur to him, the letter must bo entirely re-written, and thus some three hours would be occupied over a most unimportant subject, which might have been disposed of in double. as many minutes. More than once it has been our misfortune to be intimately associated with Potterers, and we cannot avoid thinking them particularly dangerous men, when placed in authority, or when their opinion is considered oi weight. It is only natural that a Potterer should think better of the qualifications of a man who potters than he should of one who transacts business rapidly, as well as ably. If a man has a system, is quick of perception, and understands how to organise a chain of responsibility, he can efficiently perform in a few minutes much more than a Potterer could blunder through in an hour. To proceed rapidly,: however, is considered by the Potterer the same thing as to proceed recklessly, and ho cannot comprehend how it is possible to adopt any more efficient method than that which he carries out. Ask such a man his opinion of a quick, able worker, and he will undoubtedly describe him as careless, reckless, and probably idle. Request his opinion of a mere detail drudge, who is more fitted for a copier of letters or a sorter of documents than he is for any other post, and the Potterer would recommend him to a certainty as a man well-fitted, on account of his careful attention to details, for a commanding position, whereas no greater mistake could be made. No commander can bo anything but inefficient if he be a Potterer. It is probable that in consequence of there being a large element of Pottering in our navy in, former times, it was to. assert that Nelson was no

sailor, and knew very little about the details of a ship. Probably he devoted more attention to gunnery and training his men than he did to holystoning decks and polishing up brasses, the latter being considered by some men the more important duty of the two. It is more particularly in such things as office work and inspection, that Pottering becomes more tiresome and injurious to real efficiency. In the office time may be wasted by the hour, and very little work done, or even what is worse, and far more likely, real business will bo stopped by Pottering. Letter after letter, and memo alter memo, will be sent on a subject which might and ought to be disposed of in one letter, but this would by no means suit the genus of which we write. To him the rocking-horse is safer aud as useful as a racer, motion by him being mistaken for progress; and so, if he be always doing something he believes he is making progress. It is a most unfortunate circumstance when an active and efficient officer has to serve under a Potterer. The latter, of course, likes to go on very slowly ; he delights in writing for writing’s sake. He is fond of voluminous correspondence, and of drawing out extensive programmes for future work, in which every minute detail will be given, and on which much hair-splitting argument will be devoted. Practically it will follow that the programme cannot be carried out, in consequence of some disturbing causes, and its general principles only can bo followed, yet days have been occupied by the Potterer in this way. The practical man, however, cannot but feel and show his disagreement with this system, and as ha does not potter himself, he not unusually is considered inefficient by his senior. I'he Potterer being a man of small mind and limited views, is naturally a most prejudiced person. He judges and forms his opinions from fancy, or likes and dislikes, and is consequently most unreasonable. Some twenty years ago wo beard an old officer state that any young officer who was known to smoke or play a game of billiards could not be an efficient officer or anything but a rake, and he would certainly never recommend him for a staff appointment.