PARLIAMENT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 386, 12 August 1911, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

jHOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

j CIVIL SERVICE BOARD

! The House met at 3.0 p.m

; The Hon. T. Mackenzie continued j the debate on Mr Herdman's motion i for leave to introduce a Service ! Reform Bill. Mis experience of the civil service was that masters were j most considerate. Many of the charges | made against the present administraI tion of the public service were of n nebulous character, and should be j specific. Willi regard to the suggesi tions of sycophancy, and time service, he could dispel every one of them, as far as his experience of the civil service went. He had not dropped across anything of that description. The service was an honourable and efficient ; one. He did not entirely believe in i promotion by seniority. If a Board ! to control the civil service were set up i it would be to allow the wealthy to | have the pull over the rest of the i people. Friends of the Commissioners ! would get a preference in appointj men Is. Under the present system preference was given to the children of aged people who have no other means of support outside of their children. The greatest possible consideration was extended, as far as the inter- j ests of the State allowed, to sick and i aged members of the community. j Mr J, C. Thompson said there was, as far as he could see, no picking and ; choosing between rich and poor in the ; choice of civil servants. If a Board of ! Commissioners were set; up, the func- I tions of the representatives of the ; people would be usurped. With re- | gard to classification, he did not be- ' iieve in promotion by seniority. There must be efficiency. Promotion should \ go by the way a man used his brains j in tho public benefit. It was, he ad- ; mitted, impossible to classify brains. 1

Mr Luke said be had never heard of civil servants in his electorate expressing an opinion in favour of a Board as against Ministerial control. He hoped the Bill would not pass.

Mr Russell did not think Mr Herdman had made out a case that would support his arguments. Mr Hardy interjected that he knew of a case where a candidate, being No. 50 on the examination list, did not get into the service, but No. HiO did.

Mr Russell said if that was a fact, there should be an enquiry into the mattter.

Mr Hardy: It occurred last month. Before Parliament passed the Bill, it should be satisfied there was some good reason for it.

The Hon. D. Buddo said he would not have spoken iiad it not been for the remarks passed by Mr Hardy. lie ventured to think the member for Selwyn had been misled. If be would write out a statement of the case, and present it to the Minister a reply would bo sent. The statement made was a most damaging one, if it was to be understood that any list could be passed over and set aside, in the way suggested. He declared that Ministers had nothing to do with classification lists.

Mr Hardy explained that the ease : he referred to was not that of a candi- | date for admission to the service, but a case of a man who was already in the service,and had his place on the j classification list. There was greal j dissatisfaction in the service. It j could be heard everywhere. He went ] on to explain that the man he had re j ferred to was between 50 and (10 on j the list of a certain officer, who explained to him that there were others j higher up who could not be passed ] over. He agreed, and later on he saw ! the same individual and pointed out | that a man No. 160 or No, 170 on the list had received preference. The man ! in question said "It is not me. It is j those fellows in Wellington/' That : was the position. The Hon. K. HcKenize said Mr Hardy should state the exact case. He ventured to suggest that nothing | of the kind had occurred, without good ' reason.

Mr Hardy said he was certain of his case, and would prove it at the

proper time. | Mr Stallworthy mentioned that j there had been absolutely no dissatis- j faction expressed by civil servants, j therefore there was no necessity for j such a measure. j

Mr Herdman, in reply, twitted the j Hon. T. Mackenize with supporting j his proposal in 1904, but now he viewed it in a different light. j Leave to introduce the Bill was ] granted, and the Bill was read a first j time.

A despatch was read from the King to the Governor, conveying to mem- [ bers of the House of Representatives i his appreciation of their message of | congratulation.

The defence forces regulations were j laid on the table.

The evening sitting was taken up ! with further discussion in committee ! of the Town Planning Bill. The dis- | cussion was adjourned.