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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 101, 7 April 1884, Page 2

By a very ingenious and apparently fair computation, it is stated that the present number of Civil Service servants (10,000) boar the enormous proposition of seven to every hundred of the whole male adult population (exclusive of Maoris) of these Colonies. It appears almost incredible that to every hundred workers in this human hive, there should bo seven non-productive drones. When such a state of affairs is taken into consideration, can it be wondered at that our whole national system has become enervated, and debilitated, by the army of leeches which have been preying upon its lifes-blood, and absorbing its vitality quicker than it can be generated. Although all parties have agreed as to the absolute necessity which undoubtedly exists for reform in this direction, yet no sooner is the remedy applied to their particular case than a cry is raised against it. The evil hour has been put off, like all dangerous or disagreeable operations generally are, until a time when no alternative is left but to apply the knife. Under any circumstances the duty must prove very unpopular, and the head of the Government undoubtedly deserves the highest praise for undertaking it at the present critical moment. Having once put his hand to the plough, it is no use looking back. The business must be prosecuted unflinchingly. It will bo found next to use’ess to discharge a few subordinate clerks here and there. What is needed is to sweep away an army of those who, in all departments of the service alike, draw large salaries for looking on, while others do the actual work. But the difficulty arises as to how these sinecurists are to be selected, as it generally happens that they occupy a position which enables them to protect themselves by representing the necessity which exists for their own retention. It will thus be seen that only an intimate knowledge with the duties and requirements of each office will enable the system of reduction to be carried out in a beneficial and efficacious manner. The undertaking must prove a long and tedious one, and cannot fail to Bear unequally upon different branches of the service, and numerous cases of individual hardship are sure to occur, together with instances of local inconvenience ; but this is ever the case in all sweeping reforms, and the interests of the few must give way to the necessities and welfare of the majority. Should the Premier succeed in bis endeavors to reduce this growing evil, and put our Civil Service on a more satisfactory and economical footing, he will thereby deserve the thanks of the Colony for carrying out a measure which will be remembered as one of the most beneficial ones during his not over brilliant administration.