The Southland Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 1866.

Southland Times, Volume VII, Issue 538, 10 August 1866, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 1866.

In order to secure economy in the working of the G-overnment machinery a Civil Service Act has become 1 a positive necessary. The disjointed system of Provincialism has created a multiplicity of offices, many of which are uncalled for, and as a natural consequence, are inadequately paid. In addition to this,. the uncertainty of the tenure of office ; the feeling that at every shuffle of the Ministerial cards, departmental changes might be made, has a tendency to re-' strict apolicants seeking employment under Government. This mistake has been made, not only in New Zealand, but in all the Australias, during the early days of colonization. During the last few years a great change has taken place. In the Australian colonies, uuder the working of the Civil Service Act, unqualified men cannot be placed over the head of old servants, simply because they happen to be hand and glove with this or ! that politician who happeus for the time to be a Minister. Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia^ and Queensland, now require all applicants for public employment to undergo an examination as to their qualifications for the office sought to be obtained ; a system of promotion has been adopted, and a scale of pensions drawn up, wliich has proved higlily successful, leading firstclass men to court Government service, and creating an ambition iv even the lowest official to study, in order to prepare himself for a higher position. The heavy departmental expenditure that has hitherto been a marked feature in the New Zealand Government has led to the appointment of a Civil Service Commission — D P Knight, and Messrs G-isboene, Seed, and Spence, and the lirst portion of their labors has been published. The report before us is a censure on the provincial system. It points out that ten civil services exists each working independent of the others and consequent disorginatiou, and G-overnmental extravagance both in pay and numbers. We are somewhat startled with the statements made, although few who are acquainted with the working of the government would fail to observe that many more hands were employed than necessary, still it was scarcely possible to imagine that; the evil hacl attained the magnitude a that is now exhibited. The report is carefully and ably prepared, and may be made a study with advantage. The following paragraph is essentially to the point. Having commented upon the inconvenience of these separate services, the Commissioners report : — •" This absence of systematic organisation has naturally resulted in confusion and irregularity. No fixed principals have existed to harmonise and cement .the structure of the service. That twofold spirit of independence and emulation, Aviiich arises from a reasonable security of tenure, and probability of preferment and which is so essential to tho good of the public service, is feeble and languid. Appointments, pay, and promotion, depend more upon fortuitous events than on settled principles. The best intentions of a Government, or of a Legislature will, under these circumstances, be practically frustrated. A settlement, however just, abstractedly considered, of individual claims, often results in reference to the service generally, in discontent, disorganisation, and even in positive injustice. Protracted and fruitless discussion in Parliament, of estimates — private importunity — neglect of many deserving claims, and the gradual deterioration of the service, are the I consequence of this state of affairs. The defective vitality of such a service is in vain supplemented by its numeric \\ increase. The remedy only aggravates the disease, by creating in the lower ranks of office, a disproportionate excess of underpaid officers. The Civil Service of this colony painfully illustrates this argument. The number of individuals in official capacities, paid under appropriations of the General Assembly, is 1602. Tbis number includes country postmasters, native assessors, &c, but excludes the colonial forces. The amount paid in salaries and fees during the year 1865, is £193,404 The number of chief clerks of offices is thirty-five ; the average rate of their annual salary is £281 Bs. The number of other clerks is three hundred and eight; their average rate of salary is £175 17s. We have made careful enquiries from the banks and principal mercantile firms in the colony, respecting the salaries which services of a kind i similar to those rendered by officials | usually command." This presents a sad | state of governing mismanagement. Here ■ we find that the chief cleriis, men who ! are supposed to be qualified to take a S high commercial position and heavy rei sponsibilities, are paid little or no more ' than the industrious mechanic can genej rally earn, while the other three hundred and eight clerks average less than a merchant's junior clerk or a j tradesman's shopman is paid. The i Commissioners, upon this subject, says — Inquiries have led to the conclusion that the subordinate officials are much underpaid, and recommends, as a care for this evil aud others arising from similar causes, that rt "classification, promotion from 1 class to class, salaries with minimum and maximum limits, and with annual increasements for each class ; rules of discipline ; retirement, and other allowances, in certain cases," and add:— "We hope that by these means public servants may be enabled to feel that they are | officers, not of a \department, but of a | G-overnment in wliich they have a re--1 cognised status ; and that efficiency and ! length of service will uniformly lead to preferment, ahd that reasonable provision has been made for them in sickness or old age." The "report proposes radical changes in the electoral, judicial, customs, and other departments. It is suggested the cubi toma uhoulcl be uuder the direction of one

head, and an Inspector appointed \o periodically visit the various ports ot entry, : with power to make such reforms as he might find necessary. The costly and inefficient system of registration and conduct of elections is ably brought forward, and valuable suggestions made as to reforms. Until the whole report is before us, it will be impossible to give it that careful consideration we could desire, there is, however, one more extract of importance. It has reference to Magisterial appointments. It is as follows : — " The cost of the administration of justice by means of paid Eesident Magistrates, appears to us to be excessive. Exclusively of Wardens, who are also Eesident Magistrates in certain goldfields, und who are paid partly or wholly out of Provincial funds, there are 58 persons who are .Resident Magistrates paid by the General G-overnment, and their aggregate annual salaries, exclusively of any other paid appointments which they may hold, amounts to £17,504 i. We recommend that paid Eesident Magistrates should only be appointed at principal towns and in some native districts ; and that Petty Sessions, with equivalent powers, under ' The Petty Sessions Act, 1865,' should be substituted in other districts. We would, however, advise some slight modifications in the provisions of that Act. We think that the clerk and bailiff should he appointed aud paid by the Crown, and not by Justices of the Peace, and the . fees and fines should be paid into the Colonial Treasury. We also think that all Justices being required to exercise the functions of these honorary offices, the necessity of paying a chairman any fee might be avoided by leaving the choice of the chairman to the Justices attending each Bench. Our belief is that the retention of at most twenty paid Eesident Magistrates would be quite sufficient, and the salaries of the remainder might be saved."

.'l ' " , ■■*■■*■ The Zephyr, which was recently wrecked on Stewart's Island, and purchased by Messrs Levesy and Spencer, started yesterday from the New Eiver, for Hobavfc Town. We understand that the vessel has been so thoroughly overhauled and repaired that she has been pronounced, by competent judges, thoroughly seaworthy. Still, we believe it is the intention of the ow.iers io put her on the slip in Eobarfc Town for a further examination. She left the wharf in gallant style. We beg to draw attention to an extraordinary publication which has caused so much commotion in Victoria and Ofcago entitled " Louis Napoleon tlie Destined Monarch of the World." It is on sale by Mr K. Eose, corner of Dee and Tay streets. The report of the New Zealand Insurance Company for the half-year, ending 31st May, is now before us, and appears to be of a most satisfactory character. It is as folL'Vs: — "The ■ directors have to submit to the shareholders the '; statement of the affairs of the company for the | past half-year. The net pro iit amounts to I £13,548 9s lOd, out of which the directors declare a dividend of 10 per cent per annum ; they also propose to appropriate tlie sum of £5,000, being £2 per share, to augment the paid-up capital of the company, which will be then increased to £55,000. The balance, viz., £6,048 9s lOd, wiU be carried forward to meet the unadjusted losses which have accrued during the half-year just ended, and which your directors regret to state have beeu heavier than usual. The dividend wiU be payable at the head office of the company pn and after the 20th instant, and at the branches on receipt of advice." The Wellington correspondent of the '*' Lyttelton Times," makes the '"olio wing reference to the Otago New Land Bill:—" Otago is trying again to have a complete code of Waste Land law for it-sell, passed by the Assembly. There is great difference of opinion on the subject, even among the Ofcago members ; aud as a provision is proposed for reducing the price of land under some circumstances to ten shillings an acre, differences of opinion will probably be found also between Otago and its neighbors north and south, whose land market such a provision would go far to spoU." „ Erom Lieut.-Colonel Cargili's " Eeturns of Musketry Instruction and Practice of the Ofcago Volunteers," as furnished So the Hon. the Minister for Colonial Defence, we take the foUowing particulars : — There are 12 companies in the Province, and the efficient and non-eflicient metnb ers are as foUows :— Efficient officers, 32; do sergeants, 43 • buglers 4 ; do rank and file, 555. Non-effi cient ; officers, 3; do rank and file, 3. Adjutant Atkinson, in hisreportto the Lieut.-Colonel, makes tlie foUowing reference to the .Omaru Company: — "The Omaru Company have not practised tliis year, there being no rifle range avaUable. They are, however, weU posted in their other duties, and I trust by next they wiU be able to proceed with their musketry instructions." We leave this statement in the hands of the Company. The "Westland Observer," of Saturday, the 29 th July, states that some diggers were this week prospecting near the Waita Bluff, when they came upon a human body, nofc more than two or three inches below the surface. It is believed to be a body found on the beach by a Mr Crisp, and thus buried. The suspicion is that it is the body of a young man who was recently lost from the steamer Bruce. The diggers did what , was nofc done before — buried the body decently, and fenced the grave. The Wellington correspondent of the " Oamaru Times " says : — Mr CampbeU, Major Eichardson, : and Mr Yogel have been engaged in drawing up a | biU caUed the Local Government Act, which, if ! carried, wUI guarantee to aU districts a fair share j of the revenue derived from the districts being I 6pent within them. It is proposed to make the ; measure retrospective — that is to say, to endow the various Boards with land equivalent to 10 per cent, of that already sold; so that a distr.ct like yours, where say 150,000 acres will have been lold by the time the Act comes into operation, wiU be permitted to select 15,000 acres. Power vrill be given to these Boards to borrow money on this land, for the purpose of carrying out public i works, such as roads, bridges, &c. These gentlemen propose to foUow, as much as possible, the "Victorian Local Government Act," which has now been in operation in that colony for three years, and which has given universal satisfaction. It is moßt carefuUy drawn up, and provides for every •mergenoy,"

Kelerring to the Bank of New Zealaud it-dck. in the share Ust of the " Times," May 26.. we lind tbat it is the only bank doing business here that has not suffered depression, a fact which speaks volumes for our local institution.