The Failding Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1891. Retrenchments

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 129, 23 April 1891, Page 2

The Failding Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1891. Retrenchments

Although the retrenchment polic}' of the G-overncneut may truly be said to savor of tyranny towards the servants of the colony, yet we believe that out of this evil good will eoaie. It is a notorious fact that for the last furty years it has been almost a passion with some of even our most energetic and successful fellow colonists, to get their sons into the Civil Service. The more influential the man the more certain his son was to get an appoiutinent, while the son of a poor man could only creep in, or was allowed to do so, as a reward for political services at election times. The natural result of this was that the Civil Servants felt themselves to be quite independent of the public, and when the Hon. Willie Swanson exclaimed in the House on one occasion about seventeen years ago, " What ! call them Civil Servants 1 They are rather our Uncivil Masters" the honorable, but peppery, legislator only echoed the sentiments of many of his fellows within the House, and of thousands of the electors outside. Since that time when any Ministry desired to placate the public, or to conciliate the Oppositiou, or to do a little hoodwinkiug generally, all they had to do was to promise to reorganise the Civil Service, or reduce the expenditure thereou, and the thing was done " oil was poured upon the troubled waters," and the only people made miserable were those of the Civil Servants who looked upon dismissal with terror because thfay were too old to begin the world again, or were perhaps too poor to stand a reduction in their salaries. In fact the latter contingency may be said to continually exist, unless they have their incomes supplemented by private means. Until the advent of the present Ministry nothing very harsh had yet been done. A Canterbury member rich enough himself then, but poor enough now, for his sins, got ten per ceuc. taken off all salaries, by which means the higher officials suffered a little, and i the lower ones a great deal, and later on a few "extra hands'' were dismissed from one department — and taken on again in a few days or weeks, in another! There is no such nonsense about the Ballaiiee Miuistry. They, with mistaken zeal, are not only lopping off the useless branches, bur, they have gone to the root of the tree and apparently intend to destroy it altogether. It is as well that the people should think this over. The greatest good that will come out of it, will not be economy, because the Slate • mubt nave servants, but this : — ln place of parents looking to the Civil Service as a haven for their suus, they will be inclined to make farmers of them, or have them taught a res pectable trade which would make them independent, no matter what part of the world their fortune might take them to. Compare a clerk with a man who knows a trade, when they are both out of work. The latter has a hundred chances against the former's one of getting work. A tradesman can make work, which is impossible for the mere clerk. We refer only to those of our young men who are able bodied and healthy. Let the Civil service absorb those who froc physicial caus> s are unable to undertake the more laborious tasks we ■ have indicated. There is one thing ; we do approve of, though, in the system, and that is lads going up for ■ the Civil Service Examination because, if they are able to pass they then possess a certificate of industry and intelligence which must be of use to them, especially if supported by endorsed debentures of apprenticeship.