urgent private affairs," the nature of
which must be stated to the governor. In either case, the governor
and council must be satisfied that the indulgence is indispensable.

Half pay in African and Asiatic colonies may accumulate for twelve
years' service--_i.e._ twenty-four months' half-pay leave.

(5) After the exhaustion of all vacation leave and half-pay leave,
an advance of six months' half-pay leave may be made on special
grounds ("urgent private affairs" or illness supported by a medical
certificate), the advance being charged against leave accruing
subsequently.

(6) For the purpose of visiting home, an officer may be granted
the vacation leave due him (which is never more than three months)
on full pay, and his accumulated half-pay leave, to commence at the
expiration of his vacation leave.

(7) Judicial and education officers do not receive the vacation leave
described in paragraph 3 above, the vacation of courts and schools
being considered equal to this, but they do receive the half-pay leave
described in paragraph 4, and may, when visiting home on half-pay
leave, receive full pay during any ordinary vacation of the court
or school.

It will be noted that although officers in the British colonial service
are allowed much longer periods of absence, the greater part of their
absence is on half pay and the total money value of the leave allowable
in the British colonial service and in the Philippine civil service
is about the same. As officers naturally prefer to be on full pay
instead of half pay while on leave, the provision of the Philippine
law is in their interest; it is also in the interest of the service,
as the periods of the absence from duty are not so prolonged.

The Philippine Civil Service Law is now about to be put to its
first really severe test as a result of the change in the national
administration. Heretofore those whose duty and privilege it has been
to enforce it have been in the most full and hearty sympathy with its
purposes. President McKinley was from the outset definitely committed
to the widest application of the merit system to appointments in the
Philippines. Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Taft firmly supported that system,
as has each succeeding governor-general up to, but not including,
Mr. Harrison, who is as yet an unknown quantity.

It is interesting, however, to note that on the day following his
arrival there was a demand for the instant resignation of Mr. Thomas
Cary Welch,