THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1241, 25 September 1911, Page 5

THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

DEPUTATION TO. THE PREMIER,' PROBLEM OF'CONTROL. ; , THE CLASSIFICATION , SCHEME, On Saturday a deputation representing the Civil Service Association waited upuii the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) .in reference to a number , of questions affect ing tlio administrative control of (In Public Service. Messrs. G. Allport nud l'\ S. Popo were spokesmen, Mr. Allport stated Hint members of the service >:,ero anxious Hint (lie dnsvu.caticii scheme should be cnzelU'd us soon ■us possible, so that they might lv';ui« what to expect. Jt was inevitable that a. Rood d'aal of time slioiild l:o tnk'en up lieaa-iiiß appeals, but Civil S<vvanl/, boned that tilt! scheme would be into operation at tlio earliest possible moment. The S.uperamuiation Act prov j ( \ 0( l that the widow of an oilicer entitled to sunoranniiation might take £18 a year or compensation, but in the .'appropriation Act of last session there H -a3 a clause' under which Hie. right c,f a widow to compensation was taken away, save in respect of compensation standing to (h( credit of her husband, and a refund oi his contributions. Tlio effect was, in many casts, to deprive Hie widow not only of tiro .CJB a year, but of anvthinfj at all. The tjums mentioned could • l>3 applied to pay m ent of tho deceased officer's debts, wi'.h (ho result, in Bome instance?, that tl'.e widow was loft penniless. It was considered that this could not havo boon the intention of the Gov* eminent, and llio. deputation hoped that tho position "would be remedied eo as tt enable the v/jdow to take XlB n year of coinpffljsatio'a, instead of its being left , to ovcditoTf,. Until recently tho Govern inont, hud been in the habit of givina extended hare of alxwnco of more tlinii a, month in cases which they thouqht d?scrviiif[. Lately tho practice had boon adopted* of giving an officer extends leave only for a month on full pay. I" ho wcr«: absent for any longer period ha got no pay. Thorn were many cases in. which an officer might bo entitled to a longer leave- on pay, us, for instance, when ho bad been unablo to take hi 3 annual '.cave, and they would ask the Government to consider each such casa on it?, merits. An Early-Closing Proposal. Mr. Popo raised two questions, which he said had been brought undor the no-, tice of tho Prime Minister a year previously without tho desired result being , attained. Tho first matter was a pro. posal to eloso tho public offices In tno larger towns at. noon on Saturdays, in. stead of at.l p.m. It was felt that thu was a email privilege to nfk for. Many mercantile houses now granted it. loung. men in the service, especially those who enraged in sports, wcro particularly anxious to havo this concession granted. Civil Servants were necessarily conlinett ■ verv largely to oflices, and had to takeg"at care of their health. The Saturday rush was very bad for young fellows who engaged in Bports. If ' the, Government would not grant this as a privilege, mombers of tho service were prepared to work from eight o'clock lo twelve on Saturdays instead of from nine o clock until one It was hoped, however, that tho Government would seo its way to reducing tho hours on Saturday or one. A number of men who had passed the Junioi Civil Service examination,, but not the Senior, were in an unfortunate position. Many of them had reached an ago wiicb mado it practically impossible for them to undertake tho study necessary to (inable them to pass tho last-mentioned ex. amination. Until lately these men. hao only had themselves to blame, but latterly an arrangement had been mado wuicli enabled temporary employees to become permanent after serving for five years The association had formulated a ecly'im to meet the position. They suppled that. ,in the caw of men not less than 25 jeare of ago tho passing of a special examine inr. on Departmental subjects'should be Accepted in lieu of passing the Senior Ciril Service examination. The head of end Department should set an examination for tho officers of that. Department,-and men passing this special examination should be entitled to pas* the .£2OO Kilarj limit in tho same way as those who Una passed the Senior Civil Service cxamination, The Primo Minister's Roply. Tho Prime Minister stated that he hnd received tho classification., schemo and proposed to lay it on tho table of the house as soon as he pot an opportunity. Ho desired to make it clear that whatover increments wcro to be given to me public servant? this year; would ren, ir« to bo voted on tho Supplementary Estimates. Tho coming into operation of tho classification would have., to stand, over until sufficient time had been given tor the consideration of appeals, and probably would then require to bo dealt with next Bossion. This was why ho had explained in tho Financial Statement, the absence ot any increments upon the main Estimates. It'had seemed to him best to make provision for what might bo propped to bo dono on the Supplementary, Estimates. An opportunity would lie given, to all concerned to consider the classification mheme- is =oon as it had been laid on the table of the House. As to tho matter of compensation for widows, tho alter, ation referred to was an outcome of iinformation furnished to him m regard toa position which was looked upon as being very injurious to officers whp might pass away If any hardship had been inflicted on widows lie was prepared to deal with, it, but it would bo a difficult matter to legislate in reference to obligations that officers might leave behind. As to leave of absence, tho number of applications, of recent v«a.vs, for extended leave liad increased so rapidly that, except u aw of sickness, c.ortificd to by responsible, doctors, it had been found necessary to draw tho lino. Applications for leave over-periods from six to twelve months were becoming general. In oasts*™ people wcro ill, and furmshed bon.vudo certificate, no unfairness had-becn shown. With tli.« growth of the Public Service in Now Zciland, if officers allowed their annual leave to accumulate, it would.bp. almost impossible to give extended leave. His sympathies wore ;wi.h the propo nl to close n't noon on Saturdays, and ho did not want to say that hey could not do it, but large difficulties stood in the wav. If noon closing were adopted, in thei four centres it would be callwf unfair, hat Civil Servant* all over tho country should bo denied the same privilege. Ho wa. quite certain that tlio concession could not be made to railway and postal , wrvanS Some of the officers in Uiwp Departments did not get away at 1 o elect now If a method were suggested by "hteh the proposal could be applied in the four larco centres-with the .reservations m ntionod-ho would be-prepared fa <lw- . cuss it, but no such method occurred to. liiui at tl'.o moment. , ~,,', Examinations, On tho question of permitting offie«r& who had passed the junior but not the senior Civil Service examination,, to sit for a special Departmental examination, he was not prepared to express nn opinion ofi'-hand. It must be secured that llwfo entering the public service of tins countrv should comply with the educational conditions that were cssenlinl to , having a good Civil Service in the years to come, lie did not know hoiv many men the suggestion nffected, but, if it were adopted, lorically they must remain m the Department in which they had passed the special examination. lie admitted that on anomaly had crept in when it was enacted that men who had served in a temporary capacity for five years might become permanent Civil Servant.?. In his opinioi this had been a humane way of donlinj ivifh a very difficult position. Tho pro posal would havo to be considered by tli« Ministers as a wholo. II seemed easy ti , suggest that a man should pass nn I'xnnv nintion iri the laws of his own Devnvtment, but tho Civil Service of this ciin- ■ try was nn interchangeable one. If n »vm who hart passed tho sponial cxnmiiinlion proposed wore transferred to another IV- . partment, and promoted over (lio of men who hnd pn.wd tho sr-mor ( m-1 Service examination in the regular ■■ ;i\ they, would no doubt have a right U fo<> anuriovod. The dopntation thanked tho Prime Miuister and withdrew.