THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20096, 27 November 1930, Page 16

THE CIVIL SERVICE.

to rrte f.ditos of tbi press Sir, —-Of late years your paper has been a persistent and consistent advocate of Civil Service reform. In today's issue, you support tho remarks of the Hon. J. A. Hanan in the Legislative Council. I would like to give yourself, and others, a tip. The Civil Servant is a child, and we've got to try aild understand him; be is "arguing from a totally different standpoint to his critics, and you, Sir, seem to bo unaware of the fact that the Civil Servant is not your opponent except in so- far as you make hiru so. You should ignore the Public Service Journals, and , concentrate on the politicians. The Civil Servant is merely the victim ot' the system. . ' . Yott andthe lion. Mr Han an, and all other critics,-are arguing a point which the Civil Servant is in no wav responsible for, and which be-generally fails : to comprehend-—his Whole outlook is governed bv his actual daily duties, tho , end of which is the day when he retires on superannuation, ami the possibilities of increasing 'the amount of that. The matter of the general health, wealth, efficiency of the country, etc., is foreign to him. That is why Mr Hanan and others find that V* is no exaggeration to say that tho Civil Servants govern the country." I have studied the matter closely, and have arrived at what I consider the only conclusions: if the country wants ' refdrrn in thSt way, it must not attack the Civil Servant himself, who is only doing what ho is taught, and allowed to do. Ho does not know any better; there is no agency to improve him in that respect. The real bureaucrats, as you call them, are higher up. The whole position is difficult of correction because on the one hand the public servant is debarred from politics, and; yet he is blamed for a political his whole training he is pre-vented-fi-om gaining a sense of national values,, and yet he is held responsible for a centralised 'system' of control. The Civil Servants of this country as a class, are honest and conscientious' and the country is, of course, entitled to assume those virtues, but you fail to-, get the viewpoint again, arid you only succeed in making him impatient ■vyith- the newspapers, with the result that he feels everyone is against him that you desire to take his - job away when ho has honestly arid conseientioußly tned to-serve you. • Critiieise if y OU . win, "but, direct, it . I°. th P, Proper .quarter, because you will tradi« n C V yOU M- :pUr P° se of Centralisation by railing at the Civil SerZti , . msol J. and > course, tho JourYour ? th P iec e, is himself. system nf J6Ct V s t0 hrcak down system of so much public, in favour J? ®P. ter P«se, so address yourself to the country in general, educatw i V- lf yOU Cat 0n ' t0 demand that egislation by Order-in-Council be broken down and.that Parliament have and so on; also, if you Ik 8 !'- I ,' Government Departments bo abolished, but until you can secure tiose reforms the servant must remain. U you would be moro sympathetic to nun you might do him and the country |ome good.by educating both; the Civil Servant badly needs it. T don't mean \ va y of becoming an active canaidate for Parliament, but in the sense of learning that tho real object of his department; is to .serve the country, , er ®fore that tho welfare of hiß country is paramount, and that he should learn to take an intelligent interest in outside affairs. That, Sir, might broaden Kis outlook, and wean him rrom thinking of nothing else but how to increase his pension,, because that governs, liim, whereas, in my opinion, s . not. —Yours, etc., ■••-.. * "' I*. J. ADCOCK. j November SGthj 1930. TO TUB EDITOtt OF THE I>A£SS -.Si?,—o»,..Qetober- 7th last a member of Parliament Wanted- to know what the officers of the Ministry of Transport were doing to; earn, tlieir salaries of over £2500 a .year. Mr Taverner said iil reply 'that' tile 'officers had allbeen taken froip other Departments, and that the increased oo'si to-the State w&s very little. This reply seems ■capable of "two - kttej'p.relafcious, ;■ both '•very, disturbing. Either the .men yori-j. cflrned -had • ■-taken from - Depart--Tiiciits t which, wore; grossly- -overstaffed and could afford to" lose irfen valued at £.2500 a year without feeling it, or else

Mr Taverner considers a mero £2OOO a fleabite even in these hard times. When we hear of authentic cases like this it makes us wonder how many more there are like it.—Yours, etc., ONLOOKER.