RHODES SCHOLARS

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 273, 17 November 1936, Page 9

RHODES SCHOLARS

WHAT PROSPECTS?

PUBLIC SERVICE CHANCES.

"JOBS AT £1 100 TO £1250."

"If two Rhodes Scholars who were properly qualified actuaries applied for positions to-morrow we could give them jobs at £1100 to £1250 a year each," declared the Public Service Commissioner, Mr. T. Mark, in a statement to the "Evening Post" concerning the appointment of Rhodes Scholars to the Public Service.

"The Public Service at the present time is crying out for men with specialist qualifications," said Mr. Mark. "We can absorb, a large number of our graduates returning to New Zealand, if they have specialised, particularly in the agricultural sciences, minerology, veterinary services, forestry or medicine, etc. We have just had to go abroad for veterinary surgeons, at £450 to £{500 per year. We should be only too glad to welcome back any New Zealand Rhodes Scholars for these or any of the many other specialist positions that are available. There would be a minimum of friction, as well, in their admission to the service, as specialists, and theii* salaries to commence would be comparatively high." Mr. Mark contrasted the conditions of appointment with the British and New Zealand Civil Services, and emphasised the difficulties which he considered exist in the case of a student who has taken a general or "cultural" degree abroad instead of specialising, and strongly recommended New Zealand students to plan their course of study overseas with special reference to New Zealand conditions before actually leaving this country. The Railways Department, the teaching services, and the P. and T. Department were expressly excluded from his comment. University Study Encouraged. "We are rather proud of our academic standard, which compares more than favourably with that of any other public service in the world," said Mr. Mark. Every possible encouragement was given to those in the service to extend tlieir education to the university, and the minimum qualification for the clerical division, that of matriculation, or university entrance, was expressly adopted for this purpose. The value of such training had never been more clearly apparent than it "\vas to-day, and many new problems were now being met and solved that were once beyond the scope of the public service. Depart nental training, it had been said, was valuable in approaching these tasks, but it was not enough. The universities had a function in extending and amplifying that training. To encourage university study, the service rewarded the candidate wirh a double increment in his wages. Every facility was also being granted to officers to extend their education by study abroad, and in special cases halfpay was being paid. They lost nothing in grading, and were driven improved status as a result of experience abroad. Officers before being granted leave, however, were now being asked to sign an undertaking to remain in the service for three fears after their return. The age of admission to the clerical division had also been raised from 18 to 21 in order to give boys, during the depression, an opportunity of studvini until vacancies should become available. One in Four. As a result of these provisions, the number holding leeal degrees had increased between 1913- and 1930 from 43 to 233, and those holding the B.Coni., M.Com. or aecountanfs' professional in the same period had increased from IS to 531. At the present time, one in every four of the SOOO members of the clerical division of the Civil Service is the holder of a university degree or professional examination pass. In the face of these figures, it could hardly be contended that the New Zealand Civil Service administration does not appreciate the value of university training. "These facts in addition prove something else: that a student returning to New"Zealand and applying for any particular position must have more than average general qualifications before he can be assured that there will be no one else in the servicc, with equal qualifications, likely to apply for the position. It must be made clear, however, that appointments to positions are made, not by reason of seniority, out purely, upon the ability and promise shown by. the outside entrant as compared with one from inside the service. Only when two candidates cannot be distinguished as far as their other qualifications are concerned, does the question of length of practical experience become material. When a vacancy in a department requires .to be filled, it is advertised in the special journal, and if it is thought that no one in the service "has the qualifications and will be an applicant for the position it will also be advertised in the public Press., "Cultural" Education. Those students who returned to New Zealand' with a wider "general or "cultural" education wove in a different position as far as appointment to the Civil Service was concerned, said Mr. Mark. While there was ample provision for "dealing with candidates for professional or technical positions, the position was not so clear-cut with regard to those positions which might be* regarded as providing training for administrative positions. The i\ew Zealand Civil Service recognised different principles from those pre\ ailing in the British Civil Service. <f ln any case," said Mr. Mark, we do not admit that a person having an abstract, general, or classical education is likely to be favoured by greater administrative capacity than one who lias obtained his degree while occiipyin" a position in the Civil Service. This question affects the applications of all who have taken general, rather than specialised or professional courses abroad. In applying for a position in New Zealand they have to .prove the value to the service of their general study at an overseas university, as contrasted with the qualifications of a student who has studied_ and obtained his degree at the same time as he has worked in the Department. "I know that Rhodes Scholars are encouraged to take wide and general courses at Oxford, and in my opinion it is' unfortunate, as far as concerns obtaining positions in New Zealand. I have advised at least one Rhodes Scholar of this before leaving New Zealand, and i a™ain I would urge New Zealand ! students of all kinds going abroad to ; study to plan their courses'with special > reference to our conditions here and, if