The Dominion. MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1912. THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1564, 7 October 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1912. THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

It,-1s now generally considered that the Public Service Bill will emeige from the Legislative Council without any material amendments objectionable to the Government. That 'amendments will be made is of course certain, but the main features of the measure do not seem likely to be altered. Tho debate in the Upper House , has proceeded very much on the lines to be expected from that body. The usual little group of what might be termed irreconcilables can see no good in it or anything else that may appear to reflect directly or indirectly on the Government which placed them where they are. They seemingly labour under the idea that loyalty to their party demands that they shall at all times vise in its defence; and in consequence they are liable to lose sight of the fact that loyalty to the public should take precedence over all other considerations. It is quite possible of course that they convince themselves that they are serving both the party which nominated them and the public as well, but the general tone of their speeches docs not impress one with the idea, that they have approached the question in an unbiased spirit. Apart, however, from these irreconcilables there are Councillors/who object on principle to the Commissioner system and with these no fault can be found for the., objections they raise. But after all, they cannot ignore the fact that public opinion has decided in favour of the change embodied in .the Bill now before the Council, and _ whatever their personal opinions may be, having expressed them, and made their protest, it is not their province to obstruct the passage of the measure on to the Statute Book Nor do we anticipate that they will attempt to do so. The Bill will probably pass its second reading by a fair majority and its passage through the subsequent stages should not be attended with any great difficulty, although some of the details are certain to be seized on and fought over by those hostile to it. The impression appears to have arisen that it is the intention of the Government to appoint all three of the Commissioners from the ranks of the present members of the Public Service. We do not know whether or not this is the case; but it certainly. does not strike us as the best course to pursue. The Public Servicp Commission, as the result of its investigations, arrived at the conclusion that at least two of the three Commissioners to' be appointed should be chosen from outside tho Public Service. To quote its report:

Wβ would suggest that the Board should bo composed of throe men, ono of whom— al 11, s !'? u ' (l , be tho ab!est inau that could bo obtained therein—should Ije drawn from the Service. . . . The two' other members of the Board should bo drawn from outside, and they should be men ot wide business experience who have had training in large organisations and accustomed to tho training of a largo staff. One of theso two should be chairman of the Board. The Board would therefore have as its members two men of thorough business training chosen for their organising ability, and one from the Public .Service who would know its requirements and be thoroughly familiar with all.its details and who would possess a good working knowledge of tho personnel of its officers.

The above was the opinion of the Public Service Commission and was supported at some length by arguments which will bo found on Pages :S and 20 of the report presented to Parliament a week or two ago. It is, of course, easy to understand that tho task of securing the right class of men for the positions may p_rovo a difficult one. Great care and judgment must necessarily be exercised in making a selection, and then the office might not tempt the persons picked on. But despite the difficulties in the way of choosing Commissioners from outside the ranks of the Service it certainly seems desirable that, if the reforms in the methods of trie Public Departments are to be accomplished, at least one member of the Board should have had training and experience in business circles on the lines suggested by the Public Service Commission.