WELLINGTON NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 95, 23 April 1902, Page 6

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(By f elegraph.-^Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

THE CIVIL SERVICE,

With reference to the circular issued to-day' forbidding . any Civil servant to make any application to a Minister through the medium' of a member of Parliament, on pain of instant dismissal, it is believed in wellinformed circles that it h'jiis some connection with the intention of the Government to dispense with the services of certain officials who are past the age of 65, as I wired you some weeks ago. It is understood that the proposed retirements will affect upwards of a score of Civil servants in various departments, and it is further believed that after the next general elections further reductions will be made by amalgamating a number of offices. Many of the gentlemen who will be affected by the change axe fortunate in having friends at Court and in Parliament, and it is believed that some members for constituencies in the Wellington district have already begun to intervene on behalf of their friends, proteges and supporters. Only those who are able to look . behind the political scenes and who 'move in the society of the ■' elite " are aware of the ramifications between the numerous coteries in the Empire City. Notwithstanding the commercial growth of the city, and the influx of new residents, the Civil service is still a power in the land, and even a popular Minister of the Crownl must often find it no easy , v task to resist the influence of the powerful political cliques. . . It is also notified that in future no appointments to the Civil service with salaries exceeding £200 a year are to be made until the Cabinet has been consulted by the head of the Department. FIRE PREVENTION. The views of an expert (Captain Hugo, of the Wellington Fire Brigade), who has just returned fiiom a visit to Australia, has supplied the press with some interesting information regarding his . practical observations. Reviewing the work of fire prevention in Australia, Capt. Hugo said that in all the centres there seemed to be a tendency towards increased expenditure upon fire brigades, plant and appliances. In Sydney, where there was fjvery appearance of a very efficient brigade, a proposal to raise a loan of £130,000 for increasing fire prevention efficiency whs finding favour. The loan was being i-.iised for the purpose of erecting ?nore stations, purchasing plant, and increasing the strength lof brigades. ■Tn Melbourne the same tendency was noticeable. In that city they were experimenting with motor cars for fire brigade purposes. The Fire Brigade Board of Victoria was; so' impressed with the need of keeping its brigade and plant up to date that it had given Mr Stein (chief officer pi the Melbourne Brigade) nine months' leave of absence and a gratuity of £7">o to enable him to visit Europe, Great Britain and America for the purpose of gleaning the best information upon the latest methods and appliances xised by fire brigades. The Board considers that the travels of an experienced officer will result in more efficient work being done under his direction when he returns.