The Feilding Star. THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1883. Government Employes.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 17, 19 July 1883, Page 2

The Feilding Star. THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1883. Government Employes.

♦ Mr Seddon is intrusted with the introduction to the House of Representatives of a Bill entitled " The New Zealand Government .Railway and other employes Act, 18H3." After the usual preliminaries showing exceptions to the Act, &c., and who are meant to be effected by the Act, it provides that the Government shall appoint a Board for the North, and a Board for the South Island, such Boards to consist of not less than three nor more than five members, the duties of the Boards, to be to appoint as many employes as the Minister may certify to be necessary, to fill vacancies, to make promoti-un, to keep a record of every employe in the service, to examine applicants for employment, to adjudicate on all cases of appeal, to suspend employes offeuding against the provisions of the Act, to visit twice in each year every rranch of the department, and all places where employes are engaged, so as to obtain full knowledge of the requirements of each and every branch, and report thereon to the Minister, and deal with any matters referred to the Board by the Minister. In all matters which the Board is authorised to deal with or decide, the decision of the Board to be final, and without appeal. These powers, to be vested in a Board, are so absurd as to require very little comment, and in the face of the statement made by the Minister of Public Works ot the Government having no intention of creating Boards for the management ot railways, it is not likely any Bill containing such provisions will pass. Yet there are some clauses in the Bill which could be introduced into the management of railways with advantage to the publip service, as follows : " When any vacancy occurs, or when it is intended to make any promotion three days notice of the intention to make such promotion shall be posted in three conspicuous places in the department, iuc'uding the branch where the vacancy has occurred, or where the promotion is to be made. Any employe may lodge an application for such vacancy or promotion, and the Board shall inquire lully into and examine every applicant, and recommend for appointment the employe most fit for the carrying out of the duties of the particular service required." This clause aims a direct blow at the gross favoritism which has obtained in the matter of various appointments on the railways, and would be difficu't to get passed by the Minister if there did not follow a clause which permits of the introduction of abuse , " If at any time, owing to the progress of science, it is considered necessary to confer on sume person, not an employe, an appointment in the department of which he has special capabilities, such person may be appointed an employe on the Board certifying that no employe in the service . is competent to fill any such position " Assuming, tor the sake o* argument, that the Railway Boards were elected on the same principle a£ all other Boards in the Colony, bul especially Education Boards, where special knowledge or technical edu

cation is deemed tv be worse t iia ■•. inelois fir an incumbnince to a member, the Board miurht find it difficult to declare on the one hanu whether an outsider was competent by i bein^ level with " the progress oi ■ science " or, on the otlior hand. I whether an < niulove wa* not level i with the " progress of sck'inv." Past experience tells that the decision would he in favor of the outsider, as we have had to import, from the Ola Country every experl in any depart- ' i ment of thp public service, with one or two notable exceptions, even when 1 in the Colony there were plenty of competent men provided with the necessary qualifications. There a>\-> numerous other clauses in this Bill worthy of our criticism, and we will make no apology for resuming 1 the 1 sulject in a future issue.