A ONE-MAN MINISTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 539, 21 June 1909, Page 4

A ONE-MAN MINISTRY.

T h e ; necessity in "the (, ;f .Diethpd.of^appointing:/Ministers'; was • never :;.;.;;nOTe;;cleaily, ; ompha9ised-,tlian'it:,has:been by: *:^.;the:,oventsyof month:;: 1 Under' the .•'i'/Present-'syßtom'tho'.Govorhmant''consists Of ,:;;: one :i vman:iOnd;rthe^appbintees;'bf '-that''bno ! '.;o'man J ::;.^o; i ono;else^miParliament,or ■ HM ; TO> '??*: yqicean^he-matter ofselection-or ■'•■," .--tne>afflHping .of; f selection.-'. /And'the co'nsequenoes:.of.rsuch^ystemvare^apparent'inithe" ;.;i''eTO;;wo•;;are;Buffsrinßvfrohii;^::;.^^-.'•!-■."-';. ':■? - w' 'iFvL*' says tbvhis 'colleagues. ■&j<W&i ««; als b"fhis ''Wo '•■ will "give '/J'& Dreadnought l :!';; :and:;:his V colleagues::. ? bo- • •;;;; vcauso theyj.are ?his; nomiheos,; : and, raised; ! to rf::,' P ower ; ■fe; a-Dreadnoughti".:; Forthwith ;the : Prime •'':>.:^™ s^?.::?^ '■R fv--„°■'.-=.? n^'::n 6aih;;hi3,,'iiomihees '..echo fcft ™W*>'i I^v'll?g°'.te'::the;;'Dcfence : Gonfer- ;■/;;■ ence,.and Parliament /and' people, can await T^v'my-'return;^ ; >nd-:tho,:eblleagHes echo,''' Yea; Now/;with fe:?;: ™?v«|l"p3 ;pf V the* Dreadnought ■ offer/Kh'ave- ;,;.; only..to-.say .that,; the: 'same .';8o-called/."moral' ';' ;P n ''My' "atipn antagonistic: to .Great' ll o;.':'flavo"S;bOen-'produced' : ifitho' ;;v,.rPr;meMinißWr.lmd:cablcd:to;the Prima Miri-Great'-Britain'.'.the'' following: mbs;s|A'; sage :^-','ln' any Necessity or probable danger '■■- : V'JPPV. :;bpstil6.'..nation,;',thovwfiolb-. of ; the;'re- ■■•■.:'■ sources •' of■; ; ,tlro..iDomihion ."of New: Zealand :'i:,?.arq,.»t',,tho:;disppsal;'of his 'Majesty's Governwould' bW-for i;. ;,:'their,,own iprotection.''. l /: :';v..r:v:".--.: ■'■■■'.-;■;'--.'• ,iv iV;f;'.But : _that thovPrimb; Minister ft : v;journ- Parl!ament;te-goVto':the:.coiifcreheo ,is' •H'? .nnotner : .m'attor,.;AThat::ono man should-, have v.-.'■ ™KP°wer .of-.control : as'islexerciscd,by- ,tho -■V:l: r W?.;^V , -!- s^'iis S v/?/: l; D,s .'democratic-country.'; By his action ; V: .-;-' 3°M drawir.that -'in: his absence ';,.J, ™f bu must stand.still; V-'; a! Why, should' it? Government-:' has' V. a ';V/^M'?y)-.an.d-.tha().:-policy..-has.'ihb' '.assent of tho ;,i:; : ' ;^ 3 l >111 «.;:-tben ) ;tho.::otlier i .'mbmbers of tho' wv:;::government,should; bo.strong,.enough' to ;. .. : :;.bring that policy before. thb.'Parliamcrit and v:y,(lebato.. thereon' with-;the. assurance' of 'the ' of : the;; Government);benches.-: Is ■ ;-;.;.-the,Prime-Minister's action caused by -the ;/,,-.tact'that he.has; no ;coufidencb ,ii< -his Min-' :;';.-; lstors, .who. are -.'also "his • nominees ?': Then' •;- ; i,in thatcaso he must have, subserved the in,&,v\ter^ t s : Cof .the coun try; to; .tho '■< interest.' of : ; -i> party,:and- given;tho eliargb-of:-tlio coun--i:^ ■ great; Department" of.; State: into' the ;;!: : ;;,;hands : of: ; thoso,unable, to' control, it, except' ;A:Rt:his direction^;,.r.;-; ; ';,■: r : ;>;',.-:.,-;. '■;" ' }r' "JAnd :tolanyqnp;who;lias 'carefully' followed ;,:';■• -adopted -in-the' Prime Minis-: '% --t«r S great;scheme,of Civil Service retrench-' •:,.; ment it is evident that;is-.just what' ho has .''';':'' don «-' 1 ,1n.. proof -.thereof, ; .'.can,..tho: members ft'.l'VCf.-Oabinet;deny;that tho;whole-of,tho dia,'.;;\.niissal_s,;in.the Civil Service are by tho in- .'.;;■.- struction.;of,tho Prime Minister? No, tlicy .;c;*aniiot-or,-;at Icost;; iwit truthfully. "If -tlie itf'i^embers.of-rthb ~Governmentv-woto, strong ,';;;■';, mon, placed in their position-by tho consent ■::;;: of and -therefore" by: the will. of /-,;.; thi people,-then, would ;they agree to tho ,■:•;.•: Prime Minister dictating 'as to the dismissal :,'>or;;retcntjon.;of. bvory,;Viridividual -employee '; in-th«ir;. several; Departments.?'-'- No,'., thoy ;■''-;; would nbt.- But,-aa, : nbmiiiebsj.whb'-"arb but :;.:■■ an eeho,'tllcy.-must;/ ;;'; -';;•'; '■:■'■ ■.•■■(■■!-■■■;:■-:. .:;.;:. -Now, to review- the -process of ■ rotrencii-'-V/Jrnontof 'the ; Publio SerV!co':by-;thiS onb man.' ■:- ;.; Can /anyone truthfully 'affirm that it -is pqs- ;.;;: Biblo for one 'mau*-bo; lie Prime-Minister or -.-';.';. who .'hqr-.may-Tto .khow .tho actual reqnirc- ' ;';.;monts'in'-the'wbrk of every Department, or I ;,;,;.;-; the ; worth of 'tho. employees ? Cor-'.;,.-;/tainly:hot.-';Bnt .the.Primb'Mimsto'r .says; ;:;■; ' "I' liavb .'stated. I .;?an. savb £250,000"': ;ppr ■;.- ; year;, givb:mb.,a.-blUo-pqnoil:.artd. : tho;--list of ;;;;:';.. cmp/oyocsi and 2 Ijwill-show; you;how 4o (lb .;; ■■■•' rt.!',; And-ho does.;it,v,or will do- it, or-will ; ; :'v;' My-. to do At, 'till the indignant protest ,of

overy right-thinking elector voices tho word, •"How I • ,Wo want: efficiency in tho Scrvico, riot : confirmation of tho one;man's statement."

In; tho action of tho Primo Minister's pruning knifo,. has it possibly escaped public attention that not one hoad of a Department or high official has received notice? Of course a certain number who havo readied the agclimity. or whoso length of service permits a nice fat superannuation, are going, hut 1 assort that not ono of tho class I allude to has .recoivod tho painful notice so ■• familiar to the rank and file, that their services arc no longer required. '.■'•. ' , '. In. tho meantime,; in many Departments tho machinery isat'a standstill,'for many littlo cogs oro ■ missing, and others' are .loosened, only to fall off later, and tho wheel will stop, and thon, perhaps then, tho public will recogniso what one .man of practically absolute power can' do when ho wishes to confirm a statement made, which ho is realising'daily is absolutely contrary to fact and impossible to carry into effect.—l am, etc., ■V.;'-.; ■. ■; -~;• "■..' ■;■'■•'.'; -justice.;. ■'•■' June 15. '" : ,'. ■ .