British East Africa.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 209, 7 September 1904, Page 2

British East Africa.

SIB CHAHLEB ELIOT'S RESIGNATION.

H ,J P ori: «?Pon - denco dealing with the resignation of s , ir c , ,* ™ « *«» published on July iuh The sue Si,, SJ™". 08 * 0 »» not «" oCction , haVlng m * do "<> object on to this grant, Apparently X^ondLansdowne Erected U,e ComMMoner to make no further j£» grant* pi land, but his «ue misunderstood, and two conof thirty-two UiouHond acres each were about to bo made to two private individuals-Messrs Chamberam and Flemmer. Lord Lansdowne. being informed that the land in question was ~U r t of the Masai grazing grounds, and that its alienation might lead to serious trouble with that tribe, ordered the Com|imssioncr to do nothing further in .the matter. () n this Sir Charles JUiot resigned. The Government seems to »a (London Spectator) to have been entirely i„ t the right, and hough there may have been room or serious differences of opinion on the facts at issue, nothing call vs _ cuse the tone of argument whicli the Commissioner adopted. No head of a department could submit. | 0 K ,„.|, treatment fi-,>in n subordinate without making official discipline a farce One nuercsting point, of etilmu'tle is raised in the discission. Lord Lansilßvvne consulted certain Protectorate , olliccrs who happened to lie in Lpn'<m at U„ time, and Sip Charles I'.iml complnms bitterly lf m t such action was disloyal to him, since it ['""■■ it going I. r hind him and treating with Hx subordinates. The fact ol course, is tlmL any ehitf authorityis justiliwl in such action o n certain occasions, though a wise man will resort to it as rarely as possible in order to preserve the el:i<||u,.|te of the oflicial hierarchy. J n this case and in vaew of the tone of the Com-

missioner's correspondence, Lord LariMlowne was abundantly justified. We must add our deep regret t.'iat so able a diplomatist as Sir Charles Eliot should be lost to the public service.