The Pres. TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 1909. RETRENCHMENT IX THE DEPARTMENTS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13374, 16 March 1909, Page 6

The Pres. TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 1909. RETRENCHMENT IX THE DEPARTMENTS.

Riimotir, always fairly busy in WVll'mgton, seema just now to be working overtime, up in the capital. The approaching retirement of a largo number of public servants who have reahced or parsed the ago of sixty-nvo is the prime cans:' of much of the gcn-asip, for with many positions to be filled the chances of the promotion of this, that, or the other man art? being eagerly canvassed. Another fruitful subject for discussion, a by-product, go. to speak, of the first, but so big with possibilities as nlmost to overshadow it. i.s tho question, whether there nrc not to be combinations and aluorrntions among tho Departments, which will do away with the necessity of replacing some of the retiring officials. There is a fevling abroad that retrenchment .ui'l economy are to he placed in the forcfrent of the Government's policy, so far j rs tho administration is concerm-d —a fi'oiimr. which with the public, sen-ant is a suspicion and with tho ordinary taxpayer a hope. that the pruning knife is to be ti«cd among tho sum rabum'.ant branches of tho public service. The '"Dominion."' wliich has been giving e«>n:e attention to thU matter, points out that Australia lias about cix great Government Detvirtments. while New Zealand. owing to the practice that has obtained in recent yell's of splitting m> the large Departments, has thirty-Novell - some of thorn, it is true, infiiiitciiuial, but still independent Departments of the State, each with its separate paraphproalia, and, of course, ite separate vote.

That the practice is expensive to the point of extravagance- is obvious. "A '" small section of a large Department •' is made independent, and a clerk of ■' tho old Department or some fortu- " nate one from another Department is " promoted to its head , , with an in- '• crease of £100 a year in salary. As '' soon as the clerk becomes a Depart- " mental head, he requires a chief clerk "to support his dignity. Tho chief " clerk has need of an accountant, and '• the staff which satisfactorily per- '■ formed the work of a mere section of " a Department, is totally inadequate ■" for the same work when the branch '■ attains new status." ! The smallest Department, it s;pim, i? that of Lands for Settlement, which has. a staff of two, and occasionally a typist. It is not at all clear why it shou,ld bo distinct from the Lands and Survey Department, which administers the estates selected and purchased by iu> diminutive colleague. The Friendly Societies, Crown Law, Inspector of Machinery, and the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Departments nre not obviously necessary in their independent state. Tho Industries and Commerce Department well, as is suggested, be taken over by the Agricultural Department, with which it is most clesely connected, and thi?re is something in the assertion that much of the work done by the Toiiriet and Health Resorts Department could be carried out quite as well by an intelligence and advertising bureau forming part oF the Railways Department. The reduction in the number of Departments need not imply any loss of efficiency in tho manner in which their work is performed ; indeed, it might easily be that a smaller number, each controlled by a strong head, would be more efficient than is now tho case. The chango would certainly reduce expenditure, it might also dimmish the effects of political influence. With so much in favour of the reform, it Ls, no wonder that the possibility of its adoption by the Government is being seriously discussed in Wellington.