The New Zealand Times. THURSDAY, JUKE 3, 1020. A SOMERSAULT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10606, 3 June 1920, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. THURSDAY, JUKE 3, 1020. A SOMERSAULT

We very sincerely congratulate the Prime Minister on the complete somersault lie lias achieved in his view of Civil Service control. Acrobatic performances are usually denied to Ministers, in spite of the notable maxim, “Consistency is the refuge of fools. 1 ' Nevertheless, the “inconsistency” referred to by the maxim is condoned always by public opinion when some considerable period of time intervenes between profession of a principle and-the adoption of the contrary. The most notable case is that of Air Gladstone, who, in his callowyouth, wrote a book in favour of the union between -Church and State, and in middle life disestablished the Irish Church, and later favoured disestablishment for Wales. Mr Massey, however, has not waited for any substantial period of time to provoke him to the inconsistency so obnoxious to the average political mind. But the other day, he and his party were moving heaven and earth to abolish tho political control of the Civil Service. It would ho wasting time to dwell on all tho picturesque details df the tremendous struggle tho Reform party kept up during many years of Opposition, with their systematic, regularly-recur-ring attacks on the. Ministerial system of controlling the Civil Service. It is enough to say that one of tho chief planks of tho Reform party at every election they contested was the complete removal of the Public Service from political control. Wo need only add that* this was tho only plank which the Reform party, on attaining to power, carried to tho Statute Book. Tho Act they framed and passed was intended to remove officers of every grade of the service from political control. Four years of war followed, during which politics were buried, and after tho war the first notable utterance of tho Prime Minister is an unequivocal condemnation of tho Act passed after such tremendous preparation. To a, deputation of civil servants, he recently said, with the fervour of a Columbus discovering a new world, that tho only way- to govern the Public Service is by Ministerialcontrol. Counting tho war as dead time politically, this change is practically immediate. After agitating for tho Commission system for years, the Prime Minister, as soon as ho got that system, discovered it to ho wrong fundamentally. In the twinkling of an eye he saw the need for democratic control. Having scoffed at the principle, he suddenly accepts it. Havirig always upheld the principle, we sincerely congratulate him on his conversion.

The explanation given of this wonderful and (military change by . tho Prime Minister throws a lurid light on the misuse of tho party system. Tho party that defended tho democratic system had defended with tho truth from first to last. The party that attacked it had resisted the truth obstinately, and, when it prevailed, discovered at once that the truth is great, and must prevail. The facts of the story show that for some years faction prevailed over truth. There could ho no greater misuse of tho party system. “1 am not going,” said Mr Massey to the deputation, “to have a man forced on mo that I think is not suitable.” But who is Mr Massey? He is the head of the Government responsible to Parliament for the administration of the Public Service. Wo must do him the justice to regard him as speaking thus not as an individual who merely wants to have men about him with whom he can work. Ho spoke as ono insisting on hgying men at the heads of tho great departments of tho service who can do the work, for tho proper doing of which he and bis Cabinet are responsible under democratic principles. Under tho Commissioner system, tho system ho and his party have sot up in defiance of democratic principle, and of the warning of tried experience, Mr Massey went on to say that “they could not depend on getting competent men.” It was a strong protest that tho Commissioners cannot bo trusted to select tho heads, and the protest necessarily goes right through tho ranks-with logical application. Tho protest, moreover, had already been strengthened by tho removal of various important departments from Commissioner control. When Mr Massey referred to “the possibility of the Commissioner system being turned into a board,” he said tho last possible word of stringent condemnation of the system -ho and his party had, in the blindest factional ignorance, forced upon the country.

Tho reversal of policy is complete. It is tho unexpected, and to tho Reform party it in so with a vengeance. Tho reversal is so supreme a cause

for general satisfaction that the nature of the amending hill announced by Air Alasscy to this deputation is comparatively of little consequence. Tho thing we welcome is the return of democratic control. And our welcome is all the warmer, because this return to sound principle is due to the fact that the bureaucratic substitute established has been tried by the strongest of its professed admirers and found wanting. Who arc whilom opponents of this uncontrolled and uncontrollable bureaucracy, who, according to a recent writer, are now almost, if not quite, converted into supporters, we do not pretend to know. If there such—and wo have some doubts on the point—we are not of them. This journal stood throughout this evil episode of bureaucracy for democratic control, and now that the episode is passing, owing to the failure of the bad and most expensive substitute, it stands for democratic principle as firmly as ever. Reasonable amendment We have never opposed, for wo never pretended to believe that tho democratic system did not have its evils, or that it never made mistakes. Tho Service Association has strong views on the point, believing that political control has its special evils, and regarding them as great. The members should bo ready with remedial suggestions, .and no one can do so better than they. The amending bill, reversing tho policy of bureaucracy uncontrolled, uncontrollable, and untrustworthy as the Prime Minister has said, is their opportunity. They, or some of them, profess distrust of political control. They might- reflect that it is better to amend the thing which is constitutionally right than to adhere to the thing which is both constitutionally wrong and inept.