138

Y
i

* As to the nomination system, its defects need
hardly be stated. Among every body of men
chosen by chance—be the chance one of throwing
dice, or of relationship to another set of men
themselves in no way specially gifted—there must
always be found some, in whom the power of
indolence or deficiency of intelligence will be too
strong to overcome. Had such men been always
retained in subordinate posts, the evil would have
been reduced to a minimum ; but, although promotion
 long by seniority had been abandoned, the
traditions of the service still required that every
man should be raised at least to the charge of a
district, and eventually to a judgeship.
The nomination system was abolished by the
charter of 1853, which provided that appointments
to the civil service should be thrown open to
unrestricted open competition.

The constitution of the service is now based
upon 21 and 22 Vic, Cap. 106, Section 32, and
regulations framed thereunder. The age at which
civilians were admitted to the service under the
statutory provisions of 1793 (33 Geo. IIL, Cap. 52,
Section 60), was not under 15 or more than z2
years. The maximum limit was raised to 23 years
by 7 Will. IV, and Vic. Cap. 70, Section 5. Quite
recently the limit of age has been reduced to 19

¥ Chesney’s Indian Polity, p. 223.