POLITICAL INTERVENTION IN PUBLIC SERVICE

Chronicle (Levin), 2 April 1947, Page 2

POLITICAL INTERVENTION IN PUBLIC SERVICE

AIR APPOINTMENT AND APPEAL CREATES STIR ! ■ . . WELLINGTON, April 1. Witliin the Public Service and ' m aviation circles questions were being asked yesterday about tlie extent to wliicli political intervention may liave occurred to bring about the appointment by the Public Service Coinniissiouer of Group Gaptain A. E. Clouston to tlie post of Director of Givil Aviatiou. The Public Service Appeal Board has upheld an appeal brouglit by two senior civil service officers against this appoiutment. Consequently the position has becorne available for Wing- Com mauder E. A. Gibson, former Director of Air Trausport. Group Captain Clouston, it is learned, was not o'riginally an applicant for the post. He was subsequently invited to apply. The Public Service Commission' s representative is understood to have told the Appeal Board that in raaking the appointment the Commission had to take into account the views of the Government as to who should be chosen.. Beforc the war the coutrol of civil aviatiou iu New Zealand was iu the hands of aa officer secouded from the Koyal New Zealand Air Force. On tlie outbreak of war Mr. J. M. Buckeridge was apiiointed Acting-Controller oi Civil Aviation: At the eud of tlie war the Government was urged to appoint a pennanent officer aud the Public Service Coiumissiou lato in 1916 adver lised widely hcre and overseas the position of Director of Civil Aviation. When the applications wero received a selection coinniittee was appoiutod by the Commission to review theni and make recoiiiniendations. This coinniittee cousisted of Sir Leonard Isitt, chairman of the NationaJ Airways Corporation, Air Yico-Murshal A. de T. Nevill, Cliiof of the Air Staff, Air. T. A. Barrow, permanent head of tlie Air Department, and an inspector of tlie staff of the Public Service Comniissiou. That committee recommended as its tirst choice Wing Commander Gibson, and as its second choice Mr. Buckeridge. It was therjefore a matter of surprise to those interested in aviation to learn that notwithstanding the recommendation of this committee Group Captain Clouston was communicated with and advised to apply for the positidn, even though he had not heen among the original applicants. Group Captain Clouston was appointed on February 25. Against this appointinent apx>eals were lodged by Air. Buckeridge and Wing Commander Gibson.

A cui'ious situation arose before tlie hearing of the appeals. Air. Buckeridge, who had bcen Acting-Controller of Civil Aviation ror seven years, received advice from England of an appointment available to liim as Senior Operations Officer with the Britisli Air Aliuistry. Wing Commander Gibson at the same time received information that he ha,d been appointed by the Conimission to the post of district engineer of the Public Worlcs Department at Christchurch. Ile had been a nicmber of the staff of this department before the war. The position at Christchurch would have been equal in status to that of Director of Civ-il Aviation.

Both nien decided that notwith standing these offers tliey would niaintain their appeals. Tliey have refused to eomuient, but it is suggested that tliey preferred to stand by their ap peals on the .broad question of prin ciple as affecting all civil servants — naniely, that no oue should be appointed from outside the service if there were persons inside qualiiied to porforni the duties, and that to give way in this matter wouid be to acquiesce in undue political influence in the making of appointments. Before the Appeal Board it was stated that the appointment of a man from outside the Public Service had been niada uuder a subsection of Ihe Public Service Amendmont Act, 1946, which provides that in a special case notwithstanding other provisions, "the Conimission may appoint any person lo a position in the x ublic service if in the opinion of the Conimission it: is desirable iu Ihe public interest to do so, provided that no person sliall be appointed to a position under tliis subsection uuless in the opinion of the Conimission the person appointed is fully cxualiiied for appointment tu the position and is in a great degree more suitable and capable than any other person for the linie being in the j >n Llit* service and available for ajipointnient to the position and capable of efficieally carrying out the duties thereof. " For the Commission it was further stated that in making the appointment the Commission had to take into account the views of the Government as to who should be chosen. The Appeal Board quashed the ap pointment, but among the consoquences of ihe incident was the couutry's loss of Air. Buckeridge, who during his se\-en years as acting-controller gained vaiuable knowledge of international aviation, and the Works Department 's loss of a skilled and good engineer in Air. Gibson. The incident is regarded in public service circles as estabiishing an im portant principle, as well as revealing the extent to which pressure had been brought to bear to sccure an appointment from outside the public service.