EMPHATIC PROTEST

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20001, 28 July 1939, Page 12

EMPHATIC PROTEST

EFFICIENCY TESTS

HAMILTON CIVIL SERVICE (Por Preis Association.) HAMILTON, last night. _ At the largest meeting of public servants ever held in Hamilton, strong protests were made against the efficiency' tests' being instituted by the Public Service Commissioner for all officers of the service. At the meeting every speaker stressed that the .tests, which must be passed by every member of the service before being allowed to advance beyond certain salaries, would impose undue and unnecessary hardship Furthermore, as the /tests, four in all. were soaced over the whole of a man’s career, every member would be burdened with examinations for the rest of his life. The whole trend of modern education was away from the examination system altogether, and it was considered that the action of the commissioner in introducing further examinations was a retrograde step. Speakers pointed out that many positions in '.the service were open only to those who had professional aualifications by examination, and .to impose further tests on the men who had worked for years to qualify, spending both time and money m the process, was absolutely unreasonable. System of Inspection It was -also pointed out that a rigid system of inspection prevailed in all Government 'departments to-day, and an annual report was made on every member of the staff by the controlling officer. By these means it should surely 7 be possible for the commissioner to decide as to the suitability for promotion of any individual emnlovee. Many other objections to the .esns vere raised by various speakers, one, in particular, being that a written examination was by no means *a true .cst of a man’s practical ability’ in any r field.

The following resolution was carded unanimously and is to be forwarded to the general executive of ■.he New Zealand Public Service Association for action: “That this fully representative meeting of Hamilton oublic servants, protests most emphatically against the recentlyih reduced efficiency tests on the grounds that they are a retrograde and ill-conceived imposition which will create undue hardship on public servants, more particularly those of maturer years. This meeting demands that the general executive of the New Zealand Public Service Association .take every step to see that the proposals are withdrawn.”