COLONIAL TAXATION.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XII, Issue 496, 29 July 1867, Page 1

COLONIAL TAXATION.

N'O. XIH. (Nelson Examiner.) \Yr, have noticed with interest, from time to time, notices in the Wellington papers! of the proceedings of the Civil Service! (examiners. At one time we have heard! that they were completing their labors inj Wellington ; at another that they were just starting to begin their “ arduous labors ” in some other province ; and we have more than once found ourselves speculating as to the probable meaning of this language. It is pleasant to hear of any high official of this colony actually engaged in “arduous labors,” though we have grown somewhat suspicious of this phraseology, and we confess we want to sec for ourselves what it is like. This opportunity has been in some degree afforded us. The Civil Service Examiners have extended their “ arduous labors” to Nelson, and we are bound to believe that they have performed their onerous duties here as faithfully as any-| where else. From all we can learn on tiro j subject, the visit of the two Examiners was; productive of no consequences whatever. The “ arduous labors ” of the Examiners in Nelson were simply a farce ; and beyond drawing their three guineas each per day, besides travelling expenses, we do not see that the Examiners did anything at all while here. No doubt, being men of standing and position, they did all that they considered necessary, and are personally quite beyond the reach of blame : but wo cannot help thinking that some one or other must be within reach of blame in this matter. It is gome little time since we took occasion to make a few comments on the Civil Service Keport promised to Mr Stafford, and made the basis of a very elaborate Act of our Assembly. This report and Act were to do wonders for the Civil Service of the colony, and we have more than once found ourselves rebuked] by a Wellington contemporary, supposed to be inspired by the Government, for our I want of faith in them. At the same time it was pompou-Iy announcedthat the Civil Service Examiners had begun their “ arduous labors,” and it was broadly hinted That some vast reform was rapidly approaching. Now the Examiners have been in Nelson, have performed their task, and have gone away again, and we see no signs of an; tiling happening- So far as wo can learn they have, to some extent at least, . imitated a certain famous general of antiquity—they came, they saw, and if they

didn’t conquer, at all events they went away quite as well satisfied as if they had. In one or two cases we believe some pretence of examination was gone through , but in the very great majority of cases the Examiners were fully satisfied by a mere inspection of the officials. This may for aught we can tell have been all that was expected of them by the Government, but we can say with certainty that it is not all that is expected by the public from the Government. We fail to see how the fact of two elderly gentlemen travelling in a leisurely way round the colony, and giving a languid glance at the post-office and custom-house clerks employed by the General Government, can at all increase the efficiency of those public servants. The colony has begun to suspect that it has quite enough elderly gentlemen taking a languid interest in its various offices already without the addition of a few more receiving three guineas a day out of its j oppressive taxation to look at the others i not doing their work. This, we say, so I iar as external appearances went, was tho real meaning of the visit of our Civil Service Examiners. They seem to have been | paid for going through a sort of pretence jot examination, which, as nothing was to | follow upon it, was not required°to afford a test of any tiling in particular. The wnolc question oi our Civil Service and its reform is closely connected with ibis question, and it is quite necessary that *" the matter should bo brought plainly before the public. We have already pointed out the utter absurdity of our present system of public offices ; we have calculated the number ol officials, and endeavoured to expose some of the plans by which an appearance ol sometning for them to do was created. To nil tins the Government has j liad but one reply,—“ \\ e are providing for all this as fast as possible by our Civil jbervice Act and Examiners.” We have already pointed out that tne Report, and the Act founded on that Report, were meie shams, and we are by no means sur« j prised to find them followed up by an examination which is, if possible, a greater sham than either of them. It was useless to expect anything else. As yet the Government does not open its eyes to the tact that anything is needed to effect a real | change in the mode of conducting our public offices. Nor will it do so until it is j absolutely forced upon it. There aro many :things that aro pleasant to Ministers in extensive patronage; they have friends to I oblige; and it maybe, acquaintances to , provide for in some way ; and a place in 1 11 Public office is the easiest way out of tho j d ifficulty. Looked at from tile point of view of the public, however, there are two serious objections to this. The one is, that such a system must, from its very nature, load the public offices with incapable persons, who make far more work for others | than they do themselves. Ths other 'is the very serious evil that all the incentive to exertion afforded by the hope of promotion according to desert is by this means taken away. If they would believe it, every Civil servant of the colony who is of any value whatever, finds in cm selves his truest Irionds. A reform of these departments meant not only the dismissal of a large number of useless servants who ought never to have obtained a foothn* there, but also a hope of promotion and a chance of decent salary to those servants who arc able and willing to work. To such Civil servants, this farce of an examination is a very painful mockery. They feel that tho most incompetent of those above them and the name ot tneso is * s legion ” wo fear, are in a manner white-washed by this pretence of an enquiry into their fitness, if the result of the examination meant anything at all, it meant that, of all tho sixteen hundred Civil servants of the Government, there is not one who is not well fitted for the office he holds. Perhaps this is the ease, too ; but if so we can only say —so much tne worse for ths office; it is time it were abolished. If such a farce as this docs not open the eyes of the people of this colony, we do not know what will do so. The Government that send round examiners to do as the Civil Service Examiners have done, meant no reform. Its object was to stereotype the worst features of tne present plan by confirming in their places those who have learnt to carry it out. The colonists, then, must help themselves in the matter. It is worth remembering that the people here are the supreme power, ami that if they are determined to nave a reform, or to have a cheap Government, they will soon find men who will carry out their wishes. When this is done, we hope tu sec a new Board of Examiners, whose duty it will be to ascertain who are the best men, and who will set themselves diligently to do that duty.