THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 15, 16 January 1913, Page 6

THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

OFFICERS UNEASY. According to the Wellington Evening Post, one of the first acts of the ncwly-apponted Civil Service Commission was to send a circular to heads of departments asking for a report on each officer under him, and the nature of the duties performed by that officer. The fact that such a report was asked for was view r ed with considerable uneasiness by several members of the service, for the reason, in the first place, that some did not think the head of the department knew anything about the nature of the duties they had to perform, and, in the second place, because some had-an idea that the head of the department might have a bias against them, and, in the third place, because they felt that the commission was starting out in the wrong way, that it should not place so much responsibility on the heads of the departments, but should make some inquiries among the officers themselves. As one public servant remarked to a press representative, “It’s all very well to ask the head of the department what he thinks about me. It should be equally interesting to the commission to hear what I think about the head of the department.” The commission has not gone to that length, but it has sent an additional circular to all the officers asking for a statement as to the duties the officer performs, whether daily or occasionally, and space is left for “any other remarks,” which it is understood will give the officer an opportunity of saying some of the things he might like to.say. This return is to be sent direct to the commission and not through the medium of the head of the department. The general opinion of the members of the service appears to be that this is a good move on the part of the commission, on the assumption, of course, that whatever is said will be regarded as confidential, and that an officer’s statement will not be submitted to the head of the department if the views of the two should happen to be in conflict.