THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 July 1915, Page 3

THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

To flic Editor. Sir,—A few day* ago. oil muling your leading article on t.'.e Public {-crvico CoimnisisioniTs report, I thought you were ratliier .severe on him, but I 'have since then Keen the report, ami 1 must say .that pi'oba.bly a more liatb.ct.it one Wits never issued by a public ollicer. The Coir.,in:N,ioner. after stating !i«av lie 'has allowed Ilia two assistant commissioners to be taken away a.iul employ tul on other work, seems to cry: ''l", even I only mi left, and they seek my life." Though lie has issued volumes of rules and regulations covering' every subject from hew to condii.it aai oiuie to the way to form your letter*, yet a 'plaintive wnil issues from him t'nat some of the departments nf the public service will not do as they are to'd. but will do things t'hey ought not to do and leave undone tlwe things thev ought to do. What .a pitiful admission! Tf the Commissioner can infltmrt, lia* he not. the. power to see that hU instructions are o'bs'ervedV .lis his putter Jim-

iten. or is it that lie lias,not the backbone to insist on bis regulations being carried cut? R surely cannot l)e that in some of his nilcs. regulations and instructions be h«.s got out of h,i.s depth; and if his in.-ttructioiis were put into practice they would Iki found to be unworkable, and would only lead to chaos. The wicked war, iMiiiwl whih the Commissioner is sheltering himself, has drawn away over l!l>0 public servant*, and therefore numerous reforms and amalgamations, which were foreshadowed in his .previous report. ran.not now .be attempted. Any ordinary man would say that this was just the time to aniaigamale departments and •practice ooonomv, but then the CoiranisFJoncr is not an oivliivuy man. U i.t ccrta'ivlv very phasing' to see in his renort that some ."ivc.t economies have been made. Are th.ev in. paper or oil paner? Na.ughtv people snv that tihe voliticinn has not been entirelv eliminated, a.nd at anv Tate at the present time the official influence is more felt than the political was. Ainong'st the reforms to tie instituted was the clearing out of some old fosisi.t.s and the survival of the fittest. Apparent!!' the great draw of men. OM out of VUW) for the war. has rendered this impossib'e,. therefore those verging on three s.coi-e years and ten are not only retained, but in some cases nyoivc. further promotion. Fancy a.n officer who shou.hl re.*ire in two years' f'.mc being nromoted ifroni a. umall place, like, say.' O.rcvmouth to Christ-chv.n-ii! Why. before he has picked up fch.» threads of the work in his new sphere be should lie making place for someone el--e. At any rale, l"as he anv interest in his work, knowing thai his remaining oll«-:<.i! life is brief? Does Clirii-.tch.urcli Mifi'er or do his juniors do the work whik' be draws the nay? The wfliole ouosflon is wflicttior th» sv-te.m of managing the ,i>nblic service bv (Vun-uni-sioners is a. failure, or whether the prcM-nt Cciuimv.sic..ni r is not the be*t rua.n that could have been chosen?' J certain 1 - think ib-at this last ree-O't of 3i':s miul't. le railed Hie se,:on:! bocSc of Lamentations.—l am. etc.. .TERICMiTAir.