Dear Sir

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 18, 3 February 1948, Page 4

Dear Sir

Letters to the Editor must be clearly written on one side of the paper only and where a nom-de-plume is used the name of the writer must be included for reference purposes. The Editor reserves the right to abridge, amend or withhold any letter or letters. CIVIL- SERVICE COMB-OUT Sir, —In your issue of January 16 you reported that at a branch meeting of the Federated Farmers’ organisation the Council of that organisation felt, among other things, that “in view of the present shortage of manpower in essential industries there should be a vigorous comb-out of all Govex-nment Departments, also that a Royal Commission should investigate the increased cost of the civil seiwice.” Elsewhere in the same issue, in quoting a land agent’s opinion as to why farms were not being offered for sale these days you stated that “farmers are doing so well on the new prices that they are reluctant to put their fai-ms on the market.” At present prices for butterfat and wool who wouldn’t?

To this, I add another paragraph appearing in the daily newspapers a few days ago wherein it is reported by the Public Service Superannuation Board at a meeting held on November 13, 1947, that 875. contributors, or approximately 12 per working day, had resigned during the preceding three months. A little simple arithtmetic on the part of our farmer “friends” will show that this is at the rate of 3000 per annum and, may it be added, equal to seven years’ intake of cadets. Evidently the rewards of bureaucracy are not as attractive as the Council would have its members believe. However, the incompetent fax-mer is paid on the same basis as the average efficient farmer on whose produce the guaranteed price is fixed. But how many of our critcal farmers and business men, when obliged to wait in a queue, have voiced the complaint “Why don’t they put on more staff?” Possibly the resolution quoted above arose from the issue of income tax assessments. I suggest that their complaint should have been directed at the Government, not at the civil service. We can take the resolution as being only one more of the periodical outbui'sts levelled at the civil service. Doubtless we shall hear from the Associated Chamber of Commerce next. Yours etc., 28/1/48 , CIVIL SERVANT.