WASTED MONEY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1847, 5 September 1913, Page 4

WASTED MONEY.

* AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. SEVERE CRITICISM. GREAT CHANGES NEEDED. Ono of tlio most trenchant portions of tlio Public Servioo Commissionfer's report is that in which ho traversos tho operations of the Department of Agriculture. Tho Commissioner's remarks ill full, under this heading,' are as follow: — • "This is a Department of great importance to tho Dominion, which is conducted at a considerable annual cost. It is difficult to foresee tho potentialities of such a Department, if properly organised and conducted on busmeßß methods which would givo a maximum efficiency for tho expenditure involved. It is unfortunately the caso that the organisation, of the. Department is about tho last which should have been adopted. During the past few years a policy of excessive centralisation has been adopted, which can only bo described as calculate! to result in a minimum efficiency at a maximum expenditure. This is not a Department iu which tho country is likely to take exception to tho cost, but ",t is certainly ono in which the _ orgatiwu.ion |should bo such as 'to obtain tho greatest vaiuo from tho services- of every officer tinployed, and this can only bo done by an entire alteration of tho present organisation, for which should be substituted a well-devised scheme of decentralisation. "Under tho present constitution of the Department there arc four divisions which oro practically- separate Departments, over which is tlio head offico, which repeats a good deal' of the offico work of tho divisions. Tlio divisions are as rigid as it is possible to imagine, with tho result that overlapping and waste of force is present in a marked degree, and, if -the mass of evidenco which has been obtained is to bo relied upon, friction is altogether too much in evidence. "The two main divisions are tho Livo Stock and Meat Division and tho Fields and Experimental Farms Division. Two others are the Orchards, Gardens, and Aparies Division and the Dairy Produce Division. The two latter are relatively small and compact, and present 110 groat difficulties of management. In the two large divisions the organisation is broadlv as follows: —In the Livo Stock and Moat Division there is a director, who is a professional officor,an assistant director, a chief veterinarian, sovoral so-called supervising veterinarians, ordinary veterinarians, and a , great number of livo stock inspectors. In the Division of Fields and Experimental Farms there is a director, an assistant director, supervisors, and a largo number of inspectors of rabbits , and noxious weeds. Powerless Offioors. i "Taking the Live Stock ' and Meat Divisipn nrat, it would appear 011 papor that tile organisation should boftialrly . satisfactory one, in working, blit it is ■ only when it is realised that tho supor--1 visors m the districts throughout tho , Dominion havo not the duties or powers i which should be expected from the title ■ that tlio difficulty commences. Stook . inspectors are officers whoso salaries ' rango from £170 to £3QU per annum, ' and tho absurd position obtains that ■ ovory stock inspector, senior or junior, is l a(itpalty. l tP,-th? head of 'tho 'division in-Wellington.' '' Similar--1 ly," tho veterinarians, notwithstanding tho presonco of a so-called supervising : veterinarian in their districts, are responsible only to Wellington. If a junior' stock inspector in tho extremo south fails in his duty,.there is no senior officer nearer than, Wellington who has tho power to reprimand him. The duty of tho supervisor is said'to bo to adviso and to report anything ho notices to Wellington. In tho words of ono of tho senior supervisors, tho duty of tho supervisor is 'to act as a spy.! It is dilticult to conceive a worso arrange- , inent. There is thus a small army of men of varying length of sorvico and capacity over whom discipline can only bo maintained from a distance too great , to render it offcctivo. "Iu addition to tho live stock inspectors, this division controls meat inspecttion. Hero, however, .tho Diroctor appears to havo had a freer hand, as there is sufficient devolution of duty to enable moat inspectors to be placed under local control. A proportion of tho veterinarians is occupica solely 111 tne inspection of. meat. It appears strange at first sight to find men holding professional degrees actually performing 1 this work instead of supervising trained inspectors only, but it is understood ' that the large meat companies regard • it as important that tliero should bo professional examination of meat, and, as tho companies pay for tho cost, the arrangement may' bo regarded as satisfactory. - .. L "Practically tho same organisation obtains in the Fields and Jjjxperitflontal ; Farms Division. There arc supervisors who havo 110 control, and inspectors ol 1 rabbits and noxious weeds cannot bo ' called to account except by tho Director ■ iu Wellington. ' ' » "It is not understood on what sup- ' posed principle tho present organisation " of tho Department was arranged a few * roars ago, but it would appear 011 the 1 surface that there was some idea of ■ making the Fields and Experimental Farms Division as important as possiblo 1 in comparison with the' Stock Division j otherwise there seems to ho 110 reason why inspectors of rabbits and noxious weeds should not havo.'been placed at tho outsot in cliargo of tho Live Stock 1 Division. This, however, was not' 1 done. Extraordinary Position. ' "Bearing in mind the rigidncss of tho divisions to which i havo referred, tho result is that inspectors of livo stock 1 and inspectors of rabbits are hopelessly out of touch with each other. While they are not actually forbidden to assist each other, it;is a fact that if an inspector of livo stock makes a journey from, say, A- — to a placo far 111 the country aild observes a farm overrun with noxious weeds, it is no business of his to take any notico of tho fact whatever • while if a'n inspector of rabbits notices an outbreak of discaso among tlio stock 011 a farm which ho is inspecting in his capacity of noxious weeds inspector, he has no particular need to call the attention of any ono to it. As a fair proportion of tho rabbit inspectors were at ono time stock inspectors - they aro quite competent to act in the dual capacity, of stock inspcotors, and rabbit inspectors, and there is 110 reason why tho stock inspectors Bhould not bo able to observe a failure to keep down rabbits or noxious weeds. ' "The rdstilt of all this is that tlior# is a great deal of overlapping. If the Stock inspector from A mentioned above is kind enough to drop a hint to the rabbit and noxious weeds inspector, tlio latter has to make a journey which has just been accomplished by the stock inspector, to say nothing of tho waste of force. Is it any wondor that tho travelling expenses of tho Dopartmont of Agriculture amount to £24,000 per annum, or nearly £80 for every working day of tho year? "Even if rabbits and noxious weeds inspectors. were placed under tho Live Stock Division," there is ample work for tlio most highly trained horticulturist tile Dominion can produce in controlling important experiments and generallv advising farmers 011 tho thousand-ancl-oiio points which arise in connection with field farming; and to make such a chango would entail 110 loss of dignity on tha Director. Unfortunately, at

tho present timo there is too much friction apparent, owing to a divorgonce of opinion between the Director of tlio Fields, etc., Division and tho Secretary of tlio Department on a purely professional subject. "Tho Dairy Produce Division appears to bo worked in a manner which leaves little opening for criticism. There is no need for any change. "As regards tho Orchards Division, I am not prepared at present to oxpross an opinion whother it should remain as an independent division or be merged into that of the Experimental Fanns (Horticultural) Division. This, among otlior matters, will, 110 doubt, como under the criticism of tho Board of Agriculture which is about to bo created. What does strike ono as a poor arrange*" ment is that a biologist of such reputo as tlio present head of tho Orchards Division should havo been talcon.,away from tlio biological work which 110 was performing with such marked succoss. "Practically Useless." !'Notwithstanding that minor aro under tho direot control of tho heads of their divisions only, tho Department has a numbor of district offices in chargo of fairly well paid officers, the function of which offices would < bo apparent if tho district agent had any power. It is freely stated by ofliCOl'B high up in tho service and others that tho district offices are practically useless. Their main function appears to bo to write letters for such inspectors as require this to bo dono, and to co'« lect fees registration of brands,, etc. In.thoir present form they may bo regarded as an unnecossary waste of money and force. "Under tho old organisation thoro were district inspectors in chargo, and this is said to havo worked well, the . main difficulty boing, so far as can ha understood, that tho advent of veterinarians aroused a feeling that professional officers Bhould not bo under tho Iflcal control of non-professional officers. It is difficult to ascertain tha real reason; Whatever happened, tho reorganisation took placo, and local control ceased. In : tlio 1 course of tlio investigation mado by tho Commissioners, various suggestions havo been mado as to the proper system of local control. Tho Fields Division evidently fears that it would bo controlled locally by a voterinarian, and so 011. "The Commissioners sco no difficulty at all in devising a perfect reorganisation. Tho Dominion should bo divided into workable districts, and a veterinary officer who has somo gift for administration placed in charge of tho Livo Stock Division, to which should bo added the rabbits and noxious weeds inspectors. Ho should bo given a thoroughly competent ehiof clerk and sucli staff as may be foniul necessary. This would immediately do away with tho overlapping which at present exists, and enable tho inspectors in tho district to bo properly controlled. It is said that there is a good deal of fear, on tlio part of many inspectors, that if this happened tlie'y would bo found unnecessary. It soems to me that if there are any incompetent or superfluous inspectors the sooner this happens tho better. • "As this arrangement would ; leave tho Fields Division in a workublo condition, the present fields supervisors' could bo placed iJi chargo. of districts similarly, with a competent chief clerk. There is 110 reason why all should nol), work iu tho samo building. Head Offico Friction. "Coming to tho head offico, it appears to bo absurd that tlio ordinary clerical work Bhould not be gathered together there. Professional men holding the important position of Directors of Divisions should not be troubled with details of offico work, which must happen at' present. Instead of what is equivalent to four separate Departments, corresponding ' wiui .the .head office,; there should bp one central system of records and accounts, to av6id tho work being duplicated as is'done, now. ■ "When tho organisation is sottled on a business basis it should bo dotermined onco and for all whother tlio head of the Department is to bo a professional or a clerical officor; and, if tho latter, how far ho is to override the profes- , sional officer on professional matters,!," I lmvo now before mo papers which in*; dicato tho diffioultics in this respect. ' "The present organisation is doubt bad, and, as I havo shown, there need not bo any difficulty in introducing a good organisation forthwith. Tlio efficiency of tlio Dopartmont is of such vital interest td tho country that there should bo 110 half-measures. I am quite sure that tho Department oontains men of tho right calibre to tako charge of districts' and to render a good account of themselves, who arq. at present performing work under conditions which, are by 110 means-, satisfactory. There aro at tho samo timo men for whom places wore found at tho timo of tlio last reorganisation whoso cases will havo to bo very carefully considered. "There are many, other matters which, might bo touched upon, but'as tho now Hoard of Agriculture will doubtless havo some recommendation to mako about the policy of tho Department which might affect to 601110 extent tho details of any reorganisation, it may bo desirable to defer making any vital cliango for tho moment. "I have had considerable diffioulty in classifying the officers of this Department, as under tho circumstances I have detailed, it is undesirable to classify positions which may not be necessary later on."