THE PUBLIC SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2207, 21 July 1914, Page 6

THE PUBLIC SERVICE

r;Ms^m,)tisr'X'tii

GIVING GENERAL -SATISFACTION

'MR. HERDMAN'S VIEWS

. N The; annual meeting of the" Executive Council,of the", Public Service Association, opened in tho Esperanto Hall last night. 'Mr. J. W. Macdonald presided, and the Attorney-General (the Hon.'..A. :L.' Herdman) was ,, also present. ; In calling upon Mr. Herdman to declare the jneoting open, Mr. Macdonald pointed'out that Mr. Herdmau-was : xespoiisiblo for the Act under which tho Public Servants wero now working. No one more than the Publio Servants would be' able to give 'suggestions for any improvement of the. Act. Tftey would*, be. placing' remits before' ..Mr. Herdman, l and he wassure they would receive fair and reasonable consideration. .. .■":,;, ; ~;.'; ■ "'-...

Mr. .Herdmnn expressed /pleasure at the honour conferred upon him in be- '.. ing asked to formally open the ■ conference. The Public' Servico Act lad bevn in operation -for- a littlo over . twelve ~ months, and he earnestly "hoped, as .-■•'.■■ one,-.who had taken a very keen inior- '/.'.". est' in the question of the management ■ '■-". of -the'- staff of a State, that ultimately '. ; at-: would prove of benefit, dot .-.only "to v. the people of the country; but to the Jadies and gentlemen-who constituted z' the Service in New Zealand. .-• ■ Mr..' Macdonald had suggested that from ■ '.:'"'-, -thiit: Government would prorbably receive more" useful- hints as to .;.: the shape, that legislation should ulti- ■;-.•■. mately take,'than, it would from; any other source. ;In that he agreed with ■-..:•.\ '3Mi-.. Macdonald, -but ho was : sure they ;' wdiild recognise that the first duty 'the , Government had to.perform in. connec- '-. ■ tiqn with the Administration of tho i . Public Service Act,- and the mariagV ment of the Public ■ Service was "'...•■■ a .to,, .the " publio. itself.: . ■-'. ;Ho ;■' .'was .. confident . that ■. those 'gentlemen who were present tliat night, :': -occupying .various posts in the' : Public -'; Service ,of New Zealand, understood ; , .that 1 they, as well a?. Ministers of the ■'. ■•• 'State;:,were all-servants andslaves to ..-'.:■ ;.the; public of. New Zealand.' ...He, sup-' '.", posed, the Ministers'; were the/ hardest' ; . vvorked'; slaves of the lof.'. (Laughter.) :.

;-. '- J . ;pig ;Tasli,Performed. ,; J ;. ' I ;He;:would -like ,to say, in connection: '.; -..'with the Act,-, that ,-it. had.,b'een-. astoh- ■ • .' Sshing' to him, that tho amount of work ~ •undertaken-by'the Public Service Com-, : - missioner had been-accomplished in. a !,. little over twelve months. The task ;■ that they had had\to perform had been ■ ..enormous. :_ The; , 'Act; .came .'-.'into- ....' full -.-} operation just : a'little .over. twelve mofltn>.;ae9' *'■.'Th'ere'were'over '■;'- 6000 persons, wlbpgingi.to ; the 'ordinary . . branch ;of .the.'Public. Service, and' with : the Pos.t •and: Telegraph branch over .'.-■ .11,000 employees. , Those had been ■ ■ ■ cla'ssifiedj, and .the.various details that the .Pjiiiic-' Service Commissioners must a have''undertaken during .the period had :' been immense. :' > ' .-\ r ■,'. "■..' Continuing, Mr. Herdman said that : lie', did ,not"expcct, when,,the Act' was .-> '' passed,, that;it fcould:possibly;t)e'regard- •.-.■ ,ed asi pbrfect.' '■ He.did.riot expect that', atter they had had experience of its ,:' working,''and.,the'Public Service Commissioners had madb recommendations to improve it, 'that'even then it could '■'. tie looked upon as a perfect piece • of : ' machinery !..■ ;U iwas almost impossible, . where the human element predominated, .i to 'h'five perfect legislation without years • of'tjxperiehce , .-.- He ,, thought;'he could- •'■ >--siiy—at any rate, the Public Service- ■',:' Commissioners said, that the Act was -~.. working satisfactorily:. 'He believed .it : - : was. ii.Pe. hoped, as the result of. their conference, that, they, would be able to ..,■ -.. furnish:. the.Government, iand-.-the'iPub- ; lie Service Commissioner,. with views on. .. and later, no .doubt, the . Government- would' rhavo -to consider ": : their'suggestions, and-probably make some'aliefations. in the".machinery.. .'■

No Amendment This session.' He did not.thihk.tliat it was'probable ', '■' thati during tne.'pres'eht.-. session of.Par-. !ia,ment;the Government, ■would make '.' .■ aii'r -alterations in.th'epresent Act. He thought it was wiser to; let the machinery;rim longer, : and let them have more .': experience '.of it. - After it was fairly tested 'then let them make , an amendment, which would last many,-> many " : years. He thought; it :,.veryUikely the Government would suggest:to the Pub- ' lie Service Commissioner, before any •;. alteration in the legislation'was made, that ho should visit the various Austrai 'Han States in which similar legislation was in operation,;with a.view to studying their system, so that he could siigV .. gest. to the Government,tho best pos- .;' sibla .amendments that a'person of the .experience of Mr. Robertson'-'iand his '/■- colleagues, assisted by those present, '■'.-- could suggest... He believed, in con- ; nection with the working of the Act, .that the Public Servants.themselves, had ; derived.!some benefit. Jle novor hoped ■ 'or- expected,'Kwlien carrying the; Bill' ■■'■■ tbtpugh' the.'House in 1912,' that the .legislation'.would please- everybody, or that the new system would pleaso everybody. _, It created an entirely new con-

■ dition of- affairs, and they could not m\-. '■■ pose new conditions on a Public Serv - vice consisting of 11,000 persons, without treading, on-the .corns, or interfering with the comfort, of some members of the Service. Tliat was impossible; the Public Servants could not expect it, : and the Government..could>iiot expect it. They endearvourod,' as a Government, to do what they considered the best, in ..* the interests, first,of the public, and next of the I'ußiic .Servants. Their . aim was to have, ias nearly as possible, good . working, conditions, and-; their Public ;■ Servants -working ;as, .ploa'santly and . comfortably' consistent ■ with their duty to tho public, and ho believed in. their Public Service being ■ well paid.; ; :'■ ■■; ,H .;-;-,

the Alrnof^h9;Act. .He was convinced- that they -would get tho best, work-out of men if they them working under the best possible conditions. That was the aim, of the Act. He .sincerely hoped it. would work successfully iu the future.- , Ho •-,. was" very glad gentlemen were coming, from .Virions* parts 'of New Zealand to confer in the interests of those they represented. He wished the conferen&V every success. He felt satisfied with their experience that .they would- bo able to .make many suggestions which he hoped/would help to improve tho machinery/ (Applauso!) " ' ■"■ Mr. Macdonnld moved a heartv vote of thanks to Mr. He'rdm'an. He "recognised that there was the public interest to be; considered,' as well as that 'of the Public Service, but the Government 1 would get as good: advice as any from the Public Service. .. ■■ ~..-■ . Mr. Herdman: There is one thing to think'of -in'- your deliberations: Do not expeetHoo much., We can onlydo what we think ta fair. I am: sure j'ou "will understand that. A hearty vote "of.thanks was passed to then left. ~

"","," ;, The Delegates.' The-following delegates were present: —Wellington—President, Mr. J. W. Macdonald; vice-president, Mr. W. M. Wright; general secretary, Mr. IV W. Millar; <general-.-treasurer, Mr. A.■ T. Wells': Messrs. G. Allport, W. W. Cook, H, W.,.Dear, T. W. Kirk, C. K. C. Bnniesqn, and S: L. Searell. Auckland —Mr;:- E.- Twobilb- Auckland SouthMr. D. Beal. Gieborne—Mr. W. S. Turner.,'. .Hawke'e. Bay—Mr. C B. Pfeifer.-.' J. W. Deem. Palmerston"North—Mr. C. J. Hewlatt..

Mailborough—Hon. E. E. Townshend. West Coast—Mr. E. A. Ingram. Canterbury—Messrs. G. J. Russell and H. Murray. Otago—Messrs. S. B. Smith and J. D. Hay. Southland—Mr. A. L. B Ross. ■■','

The conference then went into committee' to discuss the report and bal-ance-sheet, extracts of which have already been published. The conferenco will continue to-day, and to-morrow night the delegates and other guests will be entertained at the association's annual dinner, in the Kiosk, Oriental Bay. The- Prime Minister (the Right Hon. \V. F. Massey will bo present, and also the Hon. A. L. Herdman, the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher, Publio Service Commissioners, members of tho Appeal Board, and heads of Departments. The president, Mr. J. W". Macdonald, moved the adoption of the annual report arid • balanco-shcet. In his remarks he traversed the business transacted during the past year, and explained in detail the questions already summarised.- Tho motion was seconded by Mr. W.M. Wright and carried. Messrs. G. J. Russell, W. S. Turner, S. B.'Smith, J. W. Macdonald (Government Insurance), C. E. Pfeifer, C. R. C. Robieson, and A. L. B. Ross also spoko to .the ■ motion, their remarks being generally congratulatory on tho progress of the Association end the success of tho Journal. The conference' will irejjume ats teitting at 10 o'clock this morning, when consideration of tlio remits on the agenda paper will be proceeded witlu It is expected that tho session will last until Thursday next;