THE PUBLIC TRUSTEES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 2, 27 September 1917, Page 3

THE PUBLIC TRUSTEES

SOMETHING OF THE TRIUMVIRATE

DR. FITCHETT TO PRACTICE

PRIVATELY

The Public Trust Office of Now Zealand is a Department which has grown to such dimensions and has extended its sphero of influonce over so many phases of our official and commercial life that, next to Hie Eailways and G.P.0., it is perhaps the most important Department in the Service. Its ramifications include ten sub-departments, which are quite independent of one another, and yet are a part of the-whole. Tho Native and intestate branches are very important ones'; the loans branch enters right into the heart of the business affairs ot the community; and now that the nliico has taken up the management, and administration of big estates, ■ quite a number of interests have been added to the rota of duties to bo attended to. Un behaW of -clients, as well as tho oftce itself, the Department has a great deal of real estate to handle, and a wide range of business to supervise. The news that Dr. .Fitchett is retiring from the position of' Public Trustee immediately, -and that a Board of Trustees is to be appointed, consisting of M.r. Kobert Triggs, Trustee, and Messrs. 1. b. Ronaldson and J. W. Macdonald, Assistant Trustees, caused a good deal ot interest in business circles' in the c.ty yesterday. On the whole the public, as 'far as could be judged, approved of the triumvirate, which is to control the Office. After all. a public trust off ce must'be one in which the public has the futtesT trust, as it depends on that tor its life-blood. This is the first occasion on which the single control has wen departed froni, but the business ot tho Office has been so mucTi increased (Since the war began 'that ft had really evown beyond one man's control—there yre too many levers for one man to work.

The New Public Trustee. The three men .appointed are all fairly well known. Mr. Robert Triggs, who drops the tolo of Assistant Public faervicu Commissioner to become lublie Trustee, has been a good deal before the public since the Commissioner control ot the Civil Service was initiated. He came back' to New Zealand after a long absence, with up-to-date ideas ot departmental systems and organisations, and a contempt for the slow and expensive methods of half a century ago., -m. Triggs's record of servico is .unique. ■ Ut a period of forty .years' service, ho spent twenty-three years in the Railway. Department in New Zealand, was ten and •a halt' years Controller ot the Railways of Western Australia, and was then secured by the> Commonwealth - Government to organise on modern Hues Us G.P.O. accountancy system. He was. still in that employ when he was asked to return to New Zealand as one ot tlio • Public Servico Commissioners, a position lie now resigns after four and a hair years' service. ~ Mr. Triggs was 'educated at a i™? 10 - cial Government school and at Christs College at Christchurch; and was holder of a Provincial Government Scholarship In 1577 he entered tho ordinary commercial life, and in July, 1877, joined the New Zealand Government Railway Department, shortly afterwards OOUtg promoted to tho position of chief clerk and accountant to tho Chief Mechanical Engineer's branch of the South Island. He was subsequently promoted to the position of chief clerk and accountant, in. the Chief v Mechanical Engineer s branch at the Head Offico in Wellington. In May, 1300, Mr. Triggs was appointed to the position of chief clerk and accountant in the Chief Mechanical Engineer's branch, West Australian Government Railways, a position he held until IfllO. Towards the end of that year he was .appointed to tho..position uf chid accountant in tho Postmaster-Generals Department, Commonwealth o£ Australia. In this latter position a system ot accounts was introduced showing the iinancial standing of-the Department:. Of the svstem, as was mapped out and introduced by Mr. Triggs, Sir Robert McC. Anderson, in his report ot the business management of the PostmasterGeneral's Department, says — 'Enougn has been disclosed to show that tlie present system of management is-very cost-Iv-this-does not apply to all branches, a notable exception being the accounts branch, which is admirably conducted, and the work of which I have proved in many ways to be thoroughly reliable. Tho decision to start a proper svstem of accountancy was, made by Ministerial Order in I?". j"> d it was' a huge job, which took some three vein* to accomplish, but it was well worth all the trouble bestowed on" it. The accoujits /are issued m as simple a form as possible for accounts of this nature, and give, a hue idea of what is wrong—a good start towardyiiiuling a remedy. The introduction oitins system must have involved great labourand anxiety. The system of accounts is already good, and it was a .valuable thing for the Department that it should have been brought up to its pteent state of efficiency." _ . In January, 1013. Mr. Tnggs was appointed to the position, of' Ass lstant. Pu Ilic Service Commissioner, New Zealand. Since the outbreak oi war Mr. services Have been availed of by Goveinment to a very large extent, and the following are some of the Important undertakings with which be has been conMarch, 1915, he took charge of the husiness management connected with tHe requisitioning by the Imperial Goveiiiment oi the whole of the New Zealand meat supply available for export, and has conducted all tlie business amusements connected therewith since the inception of the scheme. . Mr. Triggs was also appointed ns Government representative on .the Oversea Ship-owners' Committee, which works n conjunction with th* London and Australian Shipping Committees. In 1915, during a period of shortage of flour and wheat, Mr. Triggs carried out the negotiations in connection with the upply g and delivery of the of wheat which were • purchased both fiornthe New South Wales Government and also from the Dominion of Canada. Several other matters have received Mr. Trias's attention; namely the requisition! ■!& of cheese on behalf of tho 11117 peral Government; the commandeering f seheelito. on behalf of the Impon Government; the control of the kaun gum production of the Dommlo 11 "hie In connection witlv the butter-fat scheme, %\r Tri«RS was appointed by Go\einn nt as°the licensing authority under theequalisation scheme am s^™ 1 the collection of the whole of the levy. Mr Triggs has also recently assumed complete control of all the sluming and ZSciaK operations in connecbo with the requisitioning of wool for the Imnerial Government, together mill an uio t l a sactons connected with the purchase of sheepskins, fellmonge,ing «ml sposi- ■ lion of"wool nrunc therefrom, ami also t h"nlministration"of the purchase of « wool and hides on behalf of he Imnerial Government. Hip total pay • nents which have been made to date with the above transactions amount to X3G.730.000.

Mr J. W. Macdonald. Mr J W. Macdonald, one of Ine new Aslant Public Trusty was burn m Christohurch 01. Juua SB, ««>-. <" < "f educated ul ' muni (where I is - <-"-'> J HtoM James Macdonald, resided). Attc tarii school ho entered the *rvico the- HytteUon Times.' W "tot there Jo continued his educational Ss, and Pr»B. the ,«heDi Service Examination, he c nleied, he Ue partuienl of Justice. J?rom 1901 total J in 100G he was on the. staff of the Magistrate's Court here, improving '-.is kno'vledge of office and documentary taw. 0, passing his final solicitor's examination he entered the legal branch of the Public Trust Office, and was afterwards appointed assistant solicitor to Mr F. J. Wilson. On. the ret.rem.jnt of that official on \pril 1, 1009, Mr. Macdonald was appointed solicitor to the office a position he has successfully filled ever since Mr. Macdonald has twice teen elected to the Public Service Superannuation Board, ami was three times in succession elected nreside.it of the Public Service Association. lie is the author 'of a text boot on tlie Workers' Compensation Act, 1908 (which is a standard worV), and a number of articles on legal subjects. Mr. Macdonald's appointment

is a. popular one in (he service aal tho office. Mr. T. S. Ronaldson. Mr. T. S. lionaMson, Deputy-Public Trustee, now becomes Assistant Public Trustee, a position which carries with it yiu advanced status and increased salary. Ho joined the service as an (-xtra clerk in tho Property Tax Department on January 3, 1883. In November of the sumo year, lie was transferred to a permanent clerksldp in the Public Trust Office. Ten years later lound him examiner of accounts to the office, and tho succeeding year ho was appointed to be accountant. On November 1, 1895, he was promoted to be chief clerk, a position he held for tea years. He became inspector in April 1, 1905, und on the death ot Mi A. A. Duncan, early in 1911, ho became Deputy-Public Trustee. Mr. Ronalnson is held in -nigh regard by ail c'-fliits of Sfe office, and his for field sports kept him in a happy relation with the younger generation for many years.

Dr. Fitchett's Intention?. Tho Dresent Public Trustee (Dr. Fitchettf will probably conclude' his connection with the office at tho end of tho present week, and next week will be suitably honoured by the staff Uuooghonfc New Zealand. He intends to toko up his residence in Auckland, and will practise the law as • a member of the firm of Napier, Fitchett, and liees, in that city. In that capacity he lias been entrusted with the defence ot Air. J. R. Lundon, barrister and 6olichor, of Auckland, in the case involving the motion that the decreo nisi (that he be struck o!f the roll of law practitioners) be L.ade absolute.