CIVIL SERVIOK COMMISSION REPORT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 86, 22 June 1880, Page 2

CIVIL SERVIOK COMMISSION REPORT.

The above report is published -in extiinso in the New Zealand Times of Saturday, aud occupies nearly eight columns of that journal. We propose gleaning a few of the more salient facts contained in the report. Tlie total number of persons employed and paid for their services by the Government is 10,853. RAILWAY DEPARTMENT. The South Island railways are first touched on, and the Commissioners state they found "an evident tendency to extravagance " in their management. The division of authority under the general managers, "traffic "managers,' and locomotive engineers is complained of, and it is recommended that on each line there should bo one supreme head. There are also' two sets of engineers — the Public Works engineers and Railway Maintenance engineers — employed in connection with railway works; It is recommended that this system be abolished, that the Inspectors of Permanent Way be left in charge of open lines, with permission to consult the nearest Government engineer, when necessary. It is also recommended that the Railway Telegraph Department be abolished, and the necessary work be done through the ordinary telegraph offices. ' The Commission found a locomotive engineer at Dunedin with a salary of -S6OO a year, " who admits that he had nd practical expeiience of locomotives previous his appointment," and at Nelson a manager in receipt of £425 a year, with only 20 miles of railway, and two trains daily, also a storekeeper in the same town at £160 per annum, " who had no stores and no office." These appointments the Commission recommends should be abolished, also the office of assistant-manager on the Kaipara railway (salary £300), whilst the Christohuroh manager states that numerous unnecessary railway crossings are maintained to give employment to old railway servants. These instances induce the opinion that great reductions could be made, if the permanent head desired to cut down the expenditure. It is stated that the variety of locomotives used —16 different kinds — causes trouble and expense to the Colony. Reference is made to the heavy loss to the revenue through wanton destruction of tarpaulins, and damaging of stores, railway carnages, locomotives, &c, for want of proper care. The Commission declare " the greatest waste of public money is going on in the railway work shops," where men are employed without system or trustworthy calculations as to the value of the work they perform. It is recommended that " the system of obtaining railway stores from contractors in the Colony should be at once discontinued, and all articles of large ordinary consumption imported." We quote the two following paragraphs : — We find that the South Island Com missioner has capital invested in a firm contracting with the department of which ho is the head, and that his receipts from this capital depend on the success of that firm Such a fact can hardly fail to inuuence<the action of officers serving uuder the Commissioner, and entirely to destroy the confidence of other firms tendering for railway supplies It is impossible to estimate the amount of loss which tho colony may have suffered from this obviously faho position held by the working head of its principal railways — a position *ha f - should not be permitted under any circumstances. Loose, irregular, and suspicious transactions of the kind we have mentioned appear to be confined to tho Sou'h Island railways ; in the North, formalities and safeguards have been adhered to with great strictness, and sometimes carried a little to far : bnt in neither Island could we find any evidence of able, searching, economic supervision, or any vigilant protection of (he public iuterest. We found the Commissioner of the North Islau-1 insufficiently informed upon many imiiortant details of his own department, without a knowledge of which it was impossible that he could efficiently protect the public interest; ai.d distant offioers were evidently guided and restrained with a very loose hnnd. The Commission recommends that both Messrs Conyers and Lawson should be removed from the position of Railway Commissioners, and that there should in future be om permanent head for the Colony. This permanent head they think should be more a man of business than an engineer or railway expert, and should be expected simply to make the lines pay, and serve the public. They also recommend an all-round reduction of 12£ per cent, on the railway wages and salaries, whioh would save £52,000, and would " naturally lead I 'indirectly to a great reduction in the cost .of . new works let by tender, whicli it would n<»t be too much to estimate as likely to reach at least an equal ajaount." This sentence evidently means that the Commissioners are determined on lowering the wages of the working classes. PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. Whilst giving credit to the Chief Engineers of the Colony for high ability, the Commission complains veiy strongly of the bad management of this department. Highly-paid men are engaged in employments which call for, no special ability, and engineers are frequently acting as accountants, inspectors, or clerks of ••works. There are 57 engineers in the employ of the Colony, all at high salaries, and most absurd means are resorted ta to find employment for them; for instance, "a common siding cannot be put down on a working railway without the presence of

two engineers. One must be called tion ot country offices being conin from the construction department ducted by oue officer, instead of two, te decide how such an important as at present ; also, that telegrams new work can be executed, and a going through the post should not second must be brought from the pay postage. maintenance staff to ascertain how it One defect in the practical working, of cau be connected with tho opting _l£v£&J*?^^M line." The Commission recommends the Commission. The beat operators are a thorough weeding out of the en-, necessarily retained at the transmitting ffineers, and that only a comparative, and more important stations, without few 'of the 'Vest, men should be re- ?°S**Y'-J^ tamed, also that the tWO brandies — operators are transferred to country sta. railway construction^ and'maintenance tions, where their work ia far less severe, engineers—should b*e united. Strong and their salary often supplemented by the „^«io,'v.f i a maiia nf tlio lilnnrWn combination of some other service. This i* complaint is made ot the blunders bloof naedy n the oper^o M that have occurred through divided ca £ t0 teßtß 0 f s^u t] £ t w _i authority, useless engines and other be perfectly impartial, and their title' to, in. plant having been ordered by one ■ creased pay ova literrlly be decided by madej?artmeat..and rejected-by-another;- <Mnery. TOTV „ Mft *•*■'*- and the railway . offieers.'being . iom- printing. pelled'lo take over alive if the Public . »«» *%*&* » great loss is caused Works Engipeor passed' it, even if m tlu f department by useless and the grades and curves Were unwork- unread works bem S Prmtfidable, the ballast badly laid, and no + sbbasuby and audit. ..*. outlet for storm,*watev provided. It h \ *f Treasury and Audit Departis shown that contradictory opinions ments there appears g^'eat comphcaare held by engineers as to the use of \ 10 » mth ?^ real efficiency. Senou New Zealand timber, leading to great and loss of time are loss to the Colony. We quote the caused by the* excessive account keep, following paragraph"- ". - "«■&«"* on engineers, surveyors • Even Tn the few instances 'in "which lo- and othe }' s > whlle » although numbers cally-grown timber is used, its price is often of complicated forms are -insisted on,. . mndo much higher than it need be by in- there is no such real audit as Would sisting on its delivery in tlie winter when prevent dishonest persons from CODiit is almost impossible to get it out of trie *...• „f-. a .,3 bush. Kauri, which is plentiful in AucH- muting iraua. land, has beeu found to.be quite useless for, JUSTICE, piles in salt water, and totara. which '-is Complaint is made of the excessive L°X P tV%r C no 19 kauri costliness, of this department, and y totara if. cheap and plentiful, a large bridge that appointments are made mthoTH* across the harbor, costing more than proper regard to efficiency. Exten* £iv»,ooo. is being built with piles of im- sion oi Magisteiial and Judicial (DisrttortSmt^ triet CourtJ districts is advised; and teredo in salt water. On the Auckland diminution of the number of MaglS-line-i puriri, which iB admitted to be the trates and Clerks. Too many police-best-wood in New Zealand for sleepers, and men aj-e ij e pt jjj some parts of the is readily obtainable, is neglected, while Coldny aild the p rac ti6e of officers : kauri, which cannot bo compared with it v w«*"j*» »««• «"° J*" lv "" i "*"• *""w*o for durability, is used. employing men as " flunkeys is „„x„™ ri ,™ strongly objected to. Objection is ... CBOWN LANDS. -iiij.il i * n _, _ . . . „, .L , also taken to the number of small The Commission found that the ls in the Col In Auckland extent of Crown land likely to .sell ,153 prisoners were found, maintained dming the next few years is com- at a cost of £83 er head> while their , paratively small, but owing to the labour was worth m lgs per head# defen-ed payment system which en- fr Picton) 5 £ prisoners were found, tails constant work on the Depart- costiu m 7 head) and refclulling nient, no material reductions can be almost not hing. In Arrow Town, effected. Complaint is made of where the seem to have a prisoner waste of money through unsuitable two d a montht the cogt of wait . and unsaleable blocks of land being in on him is at the rate of £2887 prepared for sale, and the same thing lgs anuum . Westport> £6 45 7s is going on now ; also, that the re-. 6d head . Russell| £m ?8 6d; spective duties of Land. Boards, the Naseby, £317 17s 4d ; Thames, £189 Government, and the Survey Depart- 10s 10d; Reefton, £152 ls 8d ; ment, are not properly defined. The Clyde £116 2s 2 d ; and Greymouth, . Commission hint that it is not desn- lOsld. • - able to issue both .Qrojvn Grants and Recommendation is made that the certificates of title under the Land po lice do the work of gaolers in smaLV Iransler Act. distiicts, and that where prison labor m , „ ' . s } JRV1 f Y - „ _ , is employed by local bodies, they The Commission has formed a low should pay for it at the market rate, . opinion of the real utility of- a* large traveling allowances. proportion of the work done by this Trftvelli allowftnces range from ' department. Useless sectional sur- „ p\ V; "2 ° y~ 1 22 „„„,J3\,„ +« ** 1 , , j ■, • 7s od to £2 per diem, according to veys have been made, and in many , oin v i» *i i„ a i,o„ i,L„ o^ „„+ „;„ salary. Such allowances ought only cases the land has been so cut up , ** . , ,1 -, °, . -(A ii i i i^ „ *„„, r^i.:^y n to cover actual outlay, and not to be that men who bought a lew sections „ » «, y. . „„ nnnni . n i obtained the key to a large tract of % B f u ? oe of UIS %*%%£ unsaleable land, which might have hat ™1™1»« charges and entries been profitably disposed of had a have beeu made imder thls head ' better subdmsion been made. The p^ a^undTshable as intersame thing is going on at present : . . .h h f rf ser< sections are bemg ; maAed out on ? necesg secm , e paper first, without regard to the • M . j ± L i* „ -~~~ -re I i- ~f *i, A „Z. f. m . *p„ vigilant and attentive services. If configuration 01 the countiy. He- ? . ,A1 , „t -, n . , ° -, ,- • • A „ +I ,„i j„i„;i„3 retained, there should be no element commendation is made that detailed « „„,!„;„+„ „i^„i +i,„„, i n „^. ■.- • <r„„ • of uncertainty about them. surveys should not go too in RECOMMENDED . . .advance of P«^ ases and^ that That a n civil BeiTants be treated . application to purchase P^nands h Jd b di bugi . before stirvey should be received and nt l„„ n . „^„ fl „ ii, 0 i a „ -l a cieMlyelside^a We q „ote the %^_^ _%_£_* *%E3£ZS?& *i. -. .i..»ea, •''W'-t- P«vt of the work is of an and as v preliminary to all sectional surveys, ordinary kind and should be paid for • either before or after purchase, we would at its market value. It has been tacitly point out, in the strongest terma, the im understood that once in the service, portanee of layiu« out the road lines. This, ig fo obtain promotion and however, must not be done, as hua been too . . , .****. , , » often the case in the past.merely on paper, mcrease of salary, independent of . They must be carefully located lines, so merit or efficiency. This should be y, situated as to be the most economical for <j o ne away with, and both merit and '■ construction as well as beat for Ihe future efficienoy be i]ie on jy mea nsof seourtrafßc. l'hat is has hitherto been so gene- . •* . rv i i-u . «„««„„^. rally nealeotodi* a matter for- the greatest mg promotion. Only the necessary regret, aa the expense it will entail on the number of good men should be relocal bodies who will ultimately have to tamed. Total reorganisation of the form those roada will be a serious charge on who , e serv i ce .{_ a a v ised, retaining all 'gSttMSStiZSg the neees^. power and skill, .and m?.id by all who have any knowledge of the giving the mam work of service into subject . the hands of those willing to do it at The importance of the question was ft s mar *ket value. Each position in . sal 2?*££gJr*: -scsi «» «*• °^ «^ at ü ßtoted •hen pa««ed, instructions have since beon salary, and promotion should mean li'iven by the Surveyor-General to taki removal to a better position, and not irreat oare in hying off all road lines, and m an y case un i ucre ase of salary fol"' this has to be done in accordance with enr- { . formance of the same seiT i C es. tarn general conditions as to grades, &c. *" „.„.„,„■„, To carry out theae instructions in difficult effect of advised retrenchments. country has involved much additional labor One-thirteenth of the adult males and expense, without immediate results 0 f Colony are in the direct employ • beinar apparent ; and the consequent ten- 0 f Government, in addition to large deucv to ignore them, particularly in con- vx *j«>oi""*™ «i o £t survfvs, has been great, and in many numbers mdirectjy employe^ by concases irresistible. It is true that in looking tractors', &C. This chOWS that the at the more r«cent maps a large number of salaries and wages paid by Govemroad lines are ?£ m ent form a standard of the value of a u ries we find that tiiey do not lulm tne . . , .-. _._, necessary conditions to render them suit- labour, and consequently no comable for construction. To such an extent panson can -be. made between the - has this occurred that it will prob-ibly 'prove salaries of Civil servants and ordinary in many instances better to abandon the «: iemv ,i oV es. Comparison with rates !£££?S£tt. m JS!£S i £, pSiJ: other eotoies shows that in those down on the-plans -New Zealand wages and salaries are The Commission reports that the " considerably above those whicb the value of the unsold Crown Lands has position ofthe Colony will render it been greatly over-estimated. possible to maintain." The effect of customs! Government paying high wages has The following remarks on this been to increase the cost of labou^, subject are well worthy consideration and thus damage trade and prevent of importers at Foxton : — oompetitioa with outside countries.:. In the Customs we find that there has been It is also .recommended that all Go- ( r great reluctance to reduce any existing staff ernmen f; seruauts *Work the USUaL i which a removal of business fron> their port • . ., u _,,„_ * of residence has left with very little to do. mercantile .HOUIS. Our inquiries into this department have CONCLUSION. , been very superficial, but enough to find . The - foUcrrefng paragraph IS inthat nt some ports expensive officers are atnictlVO ' *' -#•■ maintained where they have no proportion- The^nuniber of adult European males ia' litely active or important occupation. If , . h0 . 136 ,915. From these- we it is noceesary for revenue purposes to . re- Jm to -^ duct who are in priion, 694 turn so many officers at _ ports where vessels * jn x wylums, 1638 aiok and »narm,. call so frequently. ,t is evidently desirable 3423 RboV4 , ! B ii ty . year, of age, leaving only that such officers should be utilised for the 130 gQI fo fe u burdenß of l]iß colony , collection of other taxes and^the perform. ' . additioll t o all the ordinary * ance of other public duties when possible. ; m % their own Government, it is post and -teleokap^. : bo^ De fa msnd lha t this amall nnrobir of »» The complete union of these de- producers will have in 'future to send partments is recommended, inspee- annually to our foreign creditors no less

♦han £1,585,000, or -fill ISs ld each-or 4s fld per head per week—it becomes only too evident that economy will in future be Severely forced on the Government of thi* colony, and that we are in no position to be liberal either with the number or with the - ■algriM.oi our Civil Servant*. How far this full liability will fall oppressively on our pOD-alatioll. depends upon how muoh oor railways oan Be made to contribute towards interest on the outlay incurred in their construction ; but the faot of so small a population being really liable for such large ■oms appears to us to make it imperative on the Government to adopt at once that economy in the Civil Service frqm which the seductions of borrowed money have led us so far away. , The, Co mmissioner out that in 1874, when thingswere^rbsperpus, a large special vote "was giVen to the Civil Service; and it ; is now thotight only |ajr they should particip-ji*^ In the depression, which would not mean privation, "but rather an absence /pf style in, living which is little ;felt by .any, when all" descend ; together.* ' ! .The report is, dated, Jupe 18,. and; ia signed by Messrs A. Saunders, ; T. Kelly, (J. Pharazyn, and. Sir V R. Douglas, the Commissioners. „i ■". i i