The Daily News. FRIDAY, MAY 23, 1913. THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 310, 23 May 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MAY 23, 1913. THE CIVIL SERVICE.

The question of what part the Civil Service should be allowed to take in politics has been a vexed question for many years, and it is one of a good deal of delicacy. Nobody, of course, questions the right of Government employees to exercise a vote as the ordinary citizen does at general and municipal elections, but there are reasons why those in the public employ should not participate too freely in public meetings and in the open advocation of any propaganda that may appeal to them. At a meeting held at Petone on Monday night a resolution was passed protesting against "the restrictions now placed on railway and civil servants in local and political matters," and asking that the Government should introduce legislation to grant all Government employees full civil and political rights. Tin's sounds well enough, and theoretically is an excellent principle, but, on the other hand, it has very material disadvantages. In the course of their duties, many members of the Civil Service naturally become possessed of departmental information which, as the Wellington Dominion recently pointed out, it is quite possible they could use in a political candidature to the detriment of some candidate to whom they were opposed. We do not wish to insinuate that this would be done wilfully, except in very rare instances, but there is always the temptation for a man in a position of this sort to do more than justice to his own political convictions at the expense of those who hold dissimilar views. The Civil Service deals with business of a highly confidential nature, and for this reason alone it is obvious that it should be dissociated from any 'active participation in politics. There are several metropolitan newspapers in New Zealand the members of whose staffs are not permitted to accept office on any local bodies, and in the event of their seeking political honors are asked to accept three months' leave of absence. The positions are practically identical, for the newspaper man, like the civil servant, can often wield a power that is , denied to his adversary. Discussing the question, the Dominion quotes a case in point, in an episode in the life of the late Sir Wm. Russell, the well-known cori respondent of the Times, which is re--1 lated in the Spectator.

i Itussell was- in the United States during what is known as the "Trent" affair, and received confidential information from Mr. Morgan, of the British Legation at Washington, that there would he no war. Russell, who was quite above meanness or dishonesty, kept the matter to himself until the news became the subject of street rumor, and then lie felt himself free to telegraph to a business friend in New York, who had financial interests-at stake, a vague but reassuring message. This message leaked out, and caused much annoyance at tho Legation by giving rise to disagreeable rumors.

I It, is very difficult to determine just where Sir William Russell's private rights began and his public ones ended, and the incident provides an interesting study in ethics. Bui We should say that it is a far wiser course for the members of the Civil Service to keep out of practical politics, more as a matter of discretion than of one of restriction. Fortunately the staff as a whole seems to recognise this, for, with one or two notable exceptions, there have been n'o-'cases of members of the Civil Service taking too prominent a part in political life. There has been no general protest against the Government regulations,, and this is probably the best indication that they are not resented by the staff as a whole. The civil servants enjoy many privileges that compensate for any disability they might suffer by the opera- , tion of the regulation forbidding them to participate in politics. If any civil servant thinks he is being unfairly treated, he has the remedy in his own hands—he can get out of the Service.