REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1313, 22 June 1880, Page 2

REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

The following is the conclusion of the | precise of' the report of the Civil Service j Commission supplied by our Wellington correspondent : THE PUBLIC "WORKS DEPARTMENT This department is treated with almost equal severity. Though it has long been believed that New Zealand is fortunate in having in its service engineers devoted to their profession, and ranking high in professional ability, the Commissioners find very little to commend in the ,results of the management of the department, and have come to the very painful conviction that New Zealand has not received good value for the larga sums expended. Here, as in most of our other departments of the New Zealand Government, highly paid men are too often employed at work re-, quiring no uncommon ability. Fortyseven engineers, at high salaries, and often' with expensive offices, form a staff out of all proportion to the work to be done, and it must be evident that they must be engaged on work not requiring a professional head. In order to find any appearance of employment for this host of engineers, most absurd regulations have to be adopted. The Commissioners have it in evidence that a common giding cannot be put down on working railways without the presence of two engineers—one from the Construction Department to decide how such important new work cah be executed, and a second from the maintenance staff to ascertain how it can be connected with the existing line. A much smaller staff would be able to do all the work, and a multitude of officers whose actual personal qualifications are not entitled to the homage exacted by the profession, would be far better out of the way, as they, now interfere with the exercise of the ordinary good sense which the cleverest mechanics often possess. The number should be reduced, the best officers only being retained, and these should be required to give their attention to any Government work in their localities. By this means the responsibility would be more easily fixed and traced than is now the case, so many costly mistakes would not occur, and a considerable saving effected. The strict and formal separation of the two engineering departments is as inconvenient as costly ; the isolation is so complete that each regards the other as an alien rather than an ally, and there is no evidence or apparent possibility of friendly co-operation for the general good. Reference is then made to the loss entailed upon the Colony by the publig works department, without consultation with the railway department, ordering largely engines and rolling stock found on receipt unsuitable for the work. The result is that large quantities of articles are condemned and thrown aside by the railway management as useless, and further expense is incurred in importing or constructing what is believed to be better adapted fop tfye special requirements of the oolony, The Commissioners say that, with such an immense force, of engineering skill, it might be supposed that an intelligent selection would be made of the native timber for bridges, sleepers, &c. ; but the result does not bear out this' supposition. Timber used in one district is condemned in another, and opinions always seem to vary in the direction least conducive to economy. Kauri is plentiful in Auckland, and: is not used for piers in salt, water j bqt totara, which is' scarce, is used. At Napier, totara is cheap 4nd plentiful,, but. notbaurij so the latter is imported, and a large bridge' across tho harbor, costing L 12,000, built of it, though knqwji that kauri would soon be destroyed by teredo in salt water. In Auckland, puriri, the best timber-in the Coloriy-, and plentiful,, is neglected, while kauri, of inferior durability, is used. The Commissioners point out that the division of the department and. the multiplication of fyeadg cause a waste of energy and money and clashing of instructions, It would be easier for one head to control the whole than for each separate head to be called on at every step to meet the opposing opinions of rival departments, THE SURVEY DEPARTMENT Is next treated upon, but here the Commissioners are less forcible. They, however, point out that in this department there is room for reform and retrenchment. They declare it to be complicated from the provincial, system. They srere led, from, the small amount of land that is likely to be sold during the next few years, to believe that there would be less work to do and that a reduction of the cost of: the department was; possible. Qn examination, however, it was found that, though the lands sold and the amounts received were so much less, the work was 'not materially decreased. This arises to a great extent from the fact that sales have been made, on terms which involve periodical collection of small amounts from the.purchasers, as well as the' neces- : sary supervision to enforce the conditions agreed on. This being the .case, no material rednptign in the staff <;an be

effected, though it is possible some saving can be made by amalgamating offices. They point out that some money has been wasted through the survey of blocks of land unfit for sale for the purposes intended ; that there is a want of definition as to the responsibility between the Boards and the Survey Department; that chief surveyors have not sufficiently definite instructions as to their relations with Boards, and either do not consider themselves bound to make reports to them or do not feel responsible for the opinions they give; that these officers should be held, "strictly responsible to the head of their department; that the appointment of receivers of land revenue, having their offices at a considerable distance from those of the commissioners, results in increased work in the department and inconvenience to the public, purchasers having to visit two officers before they can complete a transaction ; and that there is no reason why the funds should not be paid directly into the bank. The Commissioners say it is questionable whether there is any advantage in having Crown grants as well as well as Land Transfer Act titles. The , Survey Department is very costly, involving L 150,000 expenditure last year. Regarded from a scientific rather than a practical point of view the Commissioners have formed a low opinion of the real utility of a large proportion of the work done. There has been a serious waste of money in useless surveys, which is proved by the failure of the land so surveyed to sell, thus enabling a few men to secure sections which form the key to the rest, and so monopolise large blocks. Some land has been surveyed, so as to render it impossible to fence, and this bad system is still being carried on. Practicable road lines have not been laid off, but are mere paper lines, and the instructions issued as to grades, &0., in road lines have been ignored. They suggest a saving by not subdividing rough pastoral country into small sections, and by allowing owners of adjacent properties to agree jointly on the dividing lines, thus relieving the department of sectional survey. The Commissioners conclude this portion of their report with the remark that the evidence forcibly brings out that the value of the remaining unsold Crown land has been greatly overestimated. OTHER DEPARTMENTS. The remaining departments of the service are only briefly referred to, the Commissioners not having had time to enter into details.

Of the Customs department they say there has been great reluctance to reduce any existing staff when the removal of business from a port has left it little to do, and that at some ports expensive officers are maintained needlessly, and should be utilised for other duties.

In the postal and telegraphic department economy wo Old be promoted by the complete union of the two in one office under one. head, especially in country districts. The present system of double inspection is costly and unnecessary, one being : sufficient to inspect both. In the telegraphic department the defect is that the best operators* are retained at the chief stations without increase of salary, while less skilful operators are transferred -to country stations, where the work is less, but the salary is supplemented by other services.

In the printing establishment they found 137 hands emploj'ed, and that a great number of documents of no public interest or utility were being done.

The Commissioners had not time to examine the treasury and audit departments, but they appear to possess great complication without real efficiency. There has been no real audit, suoli as would prevent a dishonest person committing a. fraud. In the Justice Department the Commissioners had not time to make a full investigation, but they find that the department is unnecessarily costly, and that appointments have been made on other considerations than those of capacity and fitnesg. In some instances this appears to have been done with a desire to reward military and other meritorious services. In many places the District Judges' and Resident Magistrates 1 districts might be extended, and the number of Resident Magistrates and their clerks might be diminished. The existence of both the Resident Magistrates" and the District Courts is unnecessary. In some parts of the colony the number of police is much greater than it should be, and some highly-paid officers are residing where there is not the slightest occasion for their presence, and where less highlypaid men would be much more useful. In one district, historically remarkable for its temperance, its freedom from crime, and the order-loving character of its population, we found that the number, and still more the expense of the police had been largely increased enuring the last few years without any increase of population or other assignable reason. Too many policemen are engaged attending on officers' horses and carriages or on their persons. The Commissioners show the waste of money entailed by having so many small gaols, and in proof of their assertions draw comparison of the respective costs of maintaining prisoners. In Auckland 158 prisoners cost LlO 13s per head a year for food, and L2O for superintendence, while the cash received for the labor of each prisoner amounted to 1$ 7s 6d, and the value of the labor given to public institutions was LIS 7s 4d. In contradistinction to this case they quote the costs of smaller gaols. At Picton the average cost of five and a-lialf prisoners was L23vl9s per head for food and LB3 19s for superintendence, the cash earnings being nil, and the vq.lue of the labor given only trifling. In Arrow Town, where they seem to have a prisoner two days a month, the cost of waiting on him is at the rate of L 2537 15s per annum ; Westport, L 645 7s 6d per head ; Russell, L 465 7s 6d ; Naseby, L 317 17s 4d ; Thames, Llß9los lOd; Reeffcon, Llss Is 8d; Clyde, Lll6 2s 2d; and Greymouth, Lll3 10s Id. Such occasional duties as are neoessary in these particular instances should be performed by the police or by some temporarilytappointed person, and not be made a reason for appointing permanent officers. The heavy cost now incurred for maintaining small numbers of prisoners in isolated establishments is one that can be and should be avoided. The advantage obtained by local bodies from. the prison labor offers a temptation to a,dvise the continuance of these expensive and useless institutions ; and, in order to avoid any local jealousies on that ground, it is that prison labor should in no ; case be given to any local institutions , except at its market value. Referring to • travelling allowances in the Qivil Service, • the Commissioners point out that they ■ are excessive, varying according to the salary from 7s 6d up to L2 per day, ' besides fares. THE SERVICE GENERALLY. Speaking generally of the Service the Commissioners say that the first step towards economy must be the abandonment of the ideas and traditions that the Government require to treat their employes on any different principles from those which regulate the well conducted establishments of large employers. Men should be sought for the work required, and not that places should be sought for men. The greater part of the work demanded from the.officials is of a routine character, requiring no uncommon ability ; and the Government ought to obtain nonqualified i for such work at the market value. One of the greatest incentives to effort has been removed by the prevalent idea, if not" the recognised rule, that every person called into Government service has obtained - ' moved, and "which will necessarily lead ' him up to constant and regular promotion i with WX regard fa his owa 1

and efficiency, and none whatever to tho character of duties upon which he is engaged. It has also lead to the increase of the cost of the service. Heads of departments have been multiplied until tho heads have grown out of all proportion to the bodies. The cost of the servioe has been made excessive by paying high salaries to officers who contribute nothing to the efficiency and useful power of the service. Nothing is mere desirable than a service composed of all officers and no rank and file. A few officers of superior qualities should be selected as leaders, orgauisers, and directors, and to these should be paid salaries sufficient to retain them in the service. The Commissioners do not recommend any mere automatic scale of reduction, but a total- reorganisation—retaining the necessary power and skill, and employing men who will do the main worlt of the service at the markot value. They urge that no attempt should bo made to retain men at high salaries to perform clerical work requiring no exceptional ability; that each position in the department should remain at a stated salary ; and that promotion in the service should mean removal from less to more important or arduous positions, and not in any case an increase of salary for the performance of the same services. Tho system of allowing Government clerks shorter hours than those in mercantile offices is injurious, both to the individual and the service—to the former by imbuing them with the idea of a fancied aristocracy. Economy they declare to be absolutely necessary, owing to the large burdens on the small population. The salaries of civil servants rose in prosperity; they must fall in adversity. The work can be better done now than in a panic. I give the concluding portion of the report in its entirety :—".We make our recommendations with a full knowledge of the opposition they will have to encounter, and of the thorny path any Government will tread that attemps to act on this report, with a conviction that if not voluntarily adopted, our proposals will ere long be forced on an impoverished community, who will then be unable to carry them out with the moderation, forbearance, foresight, and justice now possible."