THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 4

THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

DESTRUCTION OF POLITICAL PATRONAGE. A COMMISSIONER TO BE APPOINTED. The state of the Public Service demand! the careful consideration of Parliament. Tho Dominion is fortunate in , possessing: many liublic officers of superior talent who in serving tho State ore actuated by a high sen<e of duty. Nevertheless it is well known that many nppointim-iits li.ivo ben made to Departments without dim consideration being given to tho merits of applicants. Any system which give? to members of tho Executive tho power r>l selecting many of those who aro to occupy posts in the Public Service lends to procluco inefficiency, a lurk ot uniformity and of discipline, a> well us discontent in the ranks of the employees of the State l<H-iiition will be introduced which aims n't "tho destruction of political pafronogp It will prtniric for (he odopticn of lik principle embodied in the laws wliicl. regulate the Public, Pervico of tho Commonwealth of Australia, and cf some of ■the Australian State;. A Coiiiniissionet will be appointed who, with his assistants, will bo responsible, to Parliament for ap' pointments to tho service,, for proniotioni in the service', find, for the general'or.Rn.nii eatioii of the various Departmental staff* Encouragement of Merit, Provision, will "bo nmdo for the encour* ogeinont of merit, nnd for tho introduction

of some uniform principles governing promotion;,. increases of salary, holiday and sick leave, and other matters pertaining to the good government of the service. ..The- opportunities of .advancement , for young men of ability will be multiplied by extending the sphere within which promotions may take place. For in-r-tahce, instead of an officer s prospect of promotion being limited to his own Department, he will be given greater facilities ■'or'becoming a candidate for advanceniQiK in other branches of tho service. The alterations which will bo made by the. proposed legislation will not necessitate- either dismissals from the service or reductions in pay, but they will have the effect of making it more- attractive to the youth of-the Dominion, and of enabling the State to letain the services uf many men who are tempted to leave because of Miperior attractions Offered by a profes- i • sional and mercantile life outside. - I Increased Supply of Cadets. In the meantime the Government has ■ found itself compelled immediately to make provision for an increased supplv of . cadets. The Civil Service- Act requires that persons appointed to tho Civil Service | . ehall'enter the service as cadets, only after competitive examination as provided by the Act—such 'appointments to be inada in order- of merit as ascertained by-the examination. Upon the list exist- . ing to-day there are only- two male cadets eligible for appointment to any Department in order of merit. There are seven more-who,'having previously declined appointments, have at their- request since been reinstated on the list; and there are nineteen who have" limited their applications to special Departments. It. will be seen that, excluding'the. nineteen eligible for special Departments, there ore now only nine male cadets who can enter the Service 'under the present regulations. It is,- probable that the -opportunities and commencing salaries offered by mercantile institutions are now found more attractive to young men than the service of the Dominion. The immediate difficulty may be met by the issue of nmemled regulations,'permitting th-s entry of young men who, by a 'slight modification of the conditions for a pass in the Inst examination, may be considered to have reached the required standard. Increase in Salaries. But some means'must be found to make tho Public Service permanently more at- ■ tractive to young men, and it will prebnbly hi found necessary to increase the salaries at present paid during the first year of service. The Government has invited the advice and co-operation' of the heads of Departments, and records with ,the greatest satisfaction the spirit in which its invitation has been met. The heads of all the unclassified Departments of the Public Service have held meetings, and have joined in recommendations ' to tho Government, the general effect of which will be laid before Parliament dur-' ing the present', session if legislation is proposed on the subject. . Advantage has been taken of this conference of the heads of Departments to arrange a method by which the increases of salaries propcscil to' Parliament for the officers of unclassi- ■ fled Departments in the current year shall be uniformly dealt with. Hitherto each head, of Department has submitted independently to the Minister of that Department the proposals for the increases of salaries in his own Department. Such proposed increases have been considered lit'the past—first, by the Minister of the Department;, and then by Cabinet, before Piibmission to Parliament; but it is mani- , fest, that under that method the norsonal epilation was too largely involved, and, rightly or wrongly, the officers of someDepartments considered that Ifi their claims to -increases they had not. in cemparison with tire-officers of other Depart-Tnents.equal-advantages of advocacy. The neads of all.unclassified Department's have now.agreed.to nominate a-small advisory .•ommittee; the members of which have tlready conferred-;with the Minister upon fill_ proposed increases, which are to be ndjiisted, if necessary, in accordance with their advice. By this means'it is in tended to effect uniformity in the presentation ,: tt Parliament of the claims of officer? oi the Service to increases, and thereby effectually remove whatever discontent in this respect has been liitherto felt in the Service. ' ' '' " ' " ' "' ■ "'■" ,-',■...■-'.. RAILWAYS. ; •'. ' ■•' • ■ *** . THE POSITION OF GENERAL MANAGER. A full statement of the position of the railways of New. Zealand, and the future policy to be pursued with regard to them will be given to members in the Railways Statement. ~ ' . Mr. T. Eonayne, after seventeen years' faithful, service as general manager* and thirty-seven years' service in the Public Service cf the Dominion, is retiring in January next, and the Government has determined to invite applications in Lon- , don for the position of general manager to fill Mr. Konayne's place. The construction of main lines of railway will be prosecuted with such virour bs the funds at the disposal of-tho Government will.permit. As to other lines of railway, it is. proposed to try the experiment; of adopting fome cheaper form of ' construction without altering the present Bang*.