THE CIVIL SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2209, 23 July 1914, Page 10

THE CIVIL SERVICE

ANNUAL DINNER PRAISE FOR THE NEW SYSTEM There was a largo gathering at tho annual dinner of tho New Zealaud Public Service Association', held at tho Oriental Bay Kiosk, last evening. Mr. J. W. Mac Donald presided, and amon"I tlioso present were, the Hon. •A. iT Herdman (Minister of Justice), the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher (Minister of Customs and Marine), Sir Joseph Ward, and Dr. Newman, M.P. The toast of "Parliament" was proposed by Mr. Mac Donald, and responded to by tho Hon. F. M. B. Fisher, and Sir Joseph Ward. Mr. Fisher said that smco the new Civil Service scheme had come into being there had been some ripples' on the surface, but the water would become smooth in due course. What had been done by the Government had been done with tho sincere intention of benefiting tho service. Sir Joseph Ward, who was received with considerable applause, spoke of the importance to tho country of the Uvil Service, and hoped that the Public Service Association would do good work. & ci Mr f, ( f-,. A % ort . Proposed the toast of the Public Service Commissioner. Ho said that tho Commissioner, Mr. D. Robertson, had always endeavoured to do-what was right. The Commissioner could not pleaso everyone He had the country as well as tho members'of tho service to consider, and his endeavours throughout had been to bo fair It was a pleasing feature to see so many lady members of the service present U was.the duty of tho sorvice to bo loyal to thoso whom Parliament placed over them. The service had been loyal .to tlio Commissioner, as it had been loyal to the Government in the past.. .Mr. D. Robertson (Chief CommisBumer), rop ymg, said that as the Commissioners had been "dodging bricks" for a year or so it was very pleasing to ihear what Mr. Alloort had said. He wished to thank tho service for their desire to assist the Commissioners. Tho desire to help was becoming more ap•parent overy day. Ho hoped tho association would lend its aid always to look after tho lower salaried-men in the service; the higher men,' he found, could look after themselves. (Laughter.) lho Government had increased the wages for married men, and he WV'° nse was only, the forerunnor of still better pay. (Hear,'hear.) Tho cost of living had risen, and pressed hard on the men who only got nine shillings a day The- Commissioners were always willmg to hear what any member of the Service had to say, their policy was construction, not destruction Uassitication was an enormous boon if it was _ sufficiently elastic to allow full scope for promotion by merit. The-mo-ment length of service was the reason tor promotion, the Service became stagnant. He upheld the principle that every cadot who entered the Service should fco able to find his way to tho top, or as ucar there as there was room. That was the proper constitution for a Service, and it wa3 the constitution wo had in New Zealand. (Applauso.) A Public Service Association conducted wisely and well was not only of ociiefit to the Commissioner, but aJso to tho country as a whole. It had been said that thero cou|d not be good government without a good Civil Service, and' he hoped the aims of tho Civil Service Association would always be high. The. Hon. A. L. Herdman said that from this great gathering it might'fairly be inferred that now life had been imported into tho Public Service. If tho now system had been attended with success, it was undoubtedly in' a measure due to the wisdom of the Commissioners. If the demands made by the association upon the Commissioners, were wise and: reasonable, it followea that tho association must prove of immense value in the future. Ho had come to the conclusion long ago that the Act was a good Act, end if ho had not thought so ho would not have advocated it. Ho had desired first to servo the public, and secondly to seo that the public servants got good conditions. (Applause.) Formerly the public servants had to tako grievances first to one Minister and then to another. Now tho Ministers had nothing to do with these affairs personally. It had been a characteristic of British communities that tlie Civil Services had been loyal to a degree. Tho capacity of the British civil servant for managing other people was unequalled in the world. Ho agreed with Mr. Robertson that merit . must count. (Applause.) •■Other toasts were: —"The Public Ser'vico Appeal Board," proposed by Mr. ,W. Wright, responded to by Mr. P. Barr; "Tho Post and Telegraph Association," proposed by Mr. F. W. Millar, responded to by Mr. F. W. Townsendj and "Visiting Delegates."