OUR PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 197, 19 August 1874, Page 2

OUR PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS.

The Red Tape Pabasits. TO THE .EDITOR. Sib,--The folly of a rigid adherence to official technicalities in small matters of detail, is one of the greatest nuisances to which our public institutions are Hable. It causes an enormous amount of extra trouble, in very many cases ; it defeats its own ends, and shuts the door to many improvements which might result, if such little fiddle-faddle difficulties and objections were not thrown in the way. There are a thousand and one ways in which this malady shews itself; and there are a lot of officials who I verily believe like it. Impediments to enquiry; information stifled ; extra trouble caused, and all because it is the beaten track —the prescribed rule —that such a question should be answered by such a department; and therefore the document making the enquiry must be passed on with mysterious remarks on one corner, to be forwarded by them again to somebsdy else for some more official twaddle, and then to come back the round again, until the information, if there is any at all, is perfectly addled. I say not a word against a proper amount of system and order, for it is the very hinge of business, and much depends upon it; but ,that over-strained etiquette which prevents one man giving the information required although he has it at his fingers ends, because he is not the right channel for such information, is, to my mind, perfect imbecility in Public Departments, and is even frequently strained beyond its intended limits by the very official who practises it.

In military affairs, if a detachment of men came in to a Camp or Garrison, and the Commissariat Department had not been warned of it, as they, of course, should be, such detachment might starve before thejCommissariat people would give them out. rations for the day or a tent to sleep in at night.—Yours, &c., Anti Red Taps.