CIVIL SERVICE RETRENCHMENT

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 290, 6 December 1921, Page 11

CIVIL SERVICE RETRENCHMENT

iJjIBPI-CKD I'AV KESEXTED. t ßy "A. W.M.r) 1% tlio Traction from the suireriliffs of the Orcat War, "the or a., not yet. visualise Wt«tter\ns possibilities of the future, JtJfiS thinking. In our Legielaft mTbc .ecu the »pMt»l« of the J 5 ", of the aovernnient nwhing from of nniculate optimism to Vantithosis of inarticulate pe«aim»m. c deSration of which I. shown by his r ni c Things are not S o bad yet and in Ste someone gets hurt Uere,t looks | s :jf the Civil servant will suffer. The Press has initiated, or proroin%iW joined in ;i campaign against the fftil service, and Against Civil servants. Thai the first it lucessary at any time i a possibility eiiu'O its condition U never be ideal. But why .campaign against Civil servants'; "Thfere i» neither fairness nor logic ?„ it The long and unchecked attack iV these has stirred thorn tip to Shine resentment. Not many persons Ire tiwd to envy Civil servants their positions? and in any case appointment (hereto (move particularly since 1913) ill ieen aa open as God's klcv to every tody who will qualify. Their duties are 'fairly apparent to the man in the Ihwt and those who visit the Deeds office the Courthouse, the Railway, or Postal offices, will admit helpful attention to their wants. 'Whatever fcenelits they enjoy were by the Parliament which Bill .giaith and Horatio De Vcre equally did ■tttir part to create, and no search can "reVeel any clause, in the contract made 4&?lhe ■Civil servant witih the Governit when he accepted hia portion, that >d*itj he might be forcibly dispossessed ;,«f part of his salary if any financial dlffi- ' culty was .encountered by the country. "'■ -The same Bill Smith, and his friend Horatio, can, if they will, obtain super'aanuation benefits on their own terms if ffify seek «ueh through the ballot fcox, -n& in any case either can take an n«tiv«-p»rt in political matters affecting h'iawelf, wiich Civil servants cannot do. #t)mianner3 and the journalists, and -tit business men of this country are wrotb about Civil service adyninifitratjgq, -should, not their superior intellect* 'live discovered that the great Tank and ,;(!« of the eefvice are there to give un■questioning obedience to their official ■'•superiors, or, if they will not, then to be ivmsjuroded from duty. The number of ifperions who control administration ' whether for good or bad is very small, ? and these might well claim that Minis.ters who represent Parliament, which -represents the people are possibly more 'responsible than themselves. The proliposal tqi.reduce. Civil servants' salaries iis* Hated proposal to punish them. But lam told it is sacrifice. It is not. Why? The need for helping the country is the ''.same need, because it ie national, that /met with full response in 1914. Nat v only Civil servants volunteered or were " conscripted for "tho-.front." All men of ;, certain estate were called up, and all i.-men should be called into this. The ij Civil servant will hold-on with Tjia-teettt.-!jto the undeniable fact, that except it be '.i'fsliown that his work is excessively reIjmunerated fYe gods!) or that he can be :l shown to be not doing the work for ;' ; which he draws salary he should not pay : any levies that are not imposed upon " ill othdr wage earners, in common with 'jTvhom hVpajfa hie full share of the taxa- || tlon of ike country. ■ If.tie cost of living falls then he should suffer reduction of any cost of living ', payments made him. in the same ratio. I , But his money must not be forcibly taken from him, any more than from ,sny Other British subject. No greater sign of weakness of an argument could Ijb exhibited than by the Prime Minis- ' ter's offer to include himself in retrenchment, or in his laudation of the Govern- , i)or-Gencral's offer to subscribe an amount. Both can well afford it, and, neither.will ever know the pain of the 1 -heartutringa of persons who have young children to feed, and an invalid to tend, ■not to mention other very necessary ■■ BedicaJ and general extra expenses .■wtich must be dpdged if therp is no money to pay. .' In their claim for .the pauperisation of Civil servants the groups mentioned I above liever once had the humanity to * B Hj{)}est that should this iniquitous thing be dpne, consideration of the .•number of dependents of the Civil ger- * vant should be provided for. "Drastic : retrenchment"—that was all, ■ It may ibe remembered that in past gj times the Press claimed that services "«HOh as the Railways and the Post v Office should be run in the interest of ,'' the public rather than for revenue—for ■I the farmer, the business man, the Prc.se. p Who got those benefits but these? Do ElßSpW'.fcear. that these should pay any ..IJOportion of their earnings above ordin'»y "taxation (which Civil servants •he-pay J to the Government? The Civil service exists to give administrative and detail efl'ect to the deoifion of Parliament, which derives it? Authority from the people. The people 00 iPQt want these servants punished in the;way and the farmers jnd-the business men suggest. The shibW9.th that the Civil servant should pay iiPatne country"s lossc-s is more out of a»te than a groat many other tradi»oi|al abominations which had to dis*PP*ar «ince tlie cnlig'htenmont of the w »r come to humanity. Parliament Wefl.iwith its mandate from the people would not do any section of the people »wrong. r