THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONERS.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14525, 29 November 1912, Page 8

THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONERS.

GENERAL APPROVAL.

(SOCIAL TO "THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON, November 28. rhe general opinion, both in the Bervioo and out of it, is that tho eovernmont has selected a capable and <a strong Board. Tho only adverse criticism one hears is to the effect that it might have been an improvement to lave had on the Board one outside man With ordinary business training, but apparently tho Government could not jsecuro a suitable man from business circles, especially at tho salary fixed liy Parliament.

Tho "Dominion," dealing; with this phaso of the question, says that however desirablo it may have been, it was impracticable. "in the first place, the task ahead of tho new Commissioners calk for somo familiarity with tho Service in order to ensure that tho new order of things shall be brought into working shape with a minimum of friction. Necessarily tho duties of tho first Commissioners will be heavier at tho outset, at any rate, than those of tho men who succeed them, for to the Commissioners first appointed will fall tho constructive work associated with the control and rearrangement of the Public,- Service. But more important perhaps titan this aspect of the position was tho question of whether the salaries nnd conditions imposed under tho Act .vroro sufficiently liberal to attract men in business and commercial circles possessing the high qualifications required for the office. It must be acknowledged lliat tho inducements held'out were not such as would be likely to persuade a successful business man of the stamp wanted to relinquish his existing engagement for tho sake of a seven years' term of office at £1300 or £1000 a year, with all tho burden of work and worry which the now post involved. There was always tho possibility, of course, of a lucky find, but the odds were against the Government being able to placo their hands on tho class of man wanted for these positions on the terms stated with any confidence of his proving a success. In tho circumstances, it is not surprising to find that tho Government have been forced to fall back on tho Public Service itself for their Commissioners." ."

The "Post" says that any criticism of the Public Service Commissioners must concede at once that tho Governmeat has secured, three men of proved ability and admirable character, in Messrs D. Robertson (chief), .A. D. Thomson, and B. Triggs. Each has a career which wmmands respect. At tho samp time tho "Post" thinks that tho head of the Board sliould have been an outsider. It goes on to say:— "The Government has not obtained an outsider for-the principal post, and it has not offered good terms because a Balary of £1300 is not adequate for the very important administrative work of the Chief Commissioner, tho supervision cf huge staffs, and tho expenditure of miirons of pounds. The Government 3io doubt, is confident that Mr Robertcon, who lias been keen for modern methods in his own department, will bo similarly successful in the larger sphere, but, necessarily, tho unexpected promotion of a Civil Servant to an office of supremo command may be fraught with internal .difficulties which the Ministry has not anticipated. It will be human for other high, heads m the Service to. be disappointed. It was necessary to assuro a minimum of friction for the starting of , tho reform scheme, and the Government's procedure has invited that undesirable kind «l trouble, , ' - My own personal enquiries made today show that quite the opposite feelang to thai, stated by the "Post" prevails in tho Service. Mr. Robertson commands tho respect and esteem of tho Service, and the general opinion is that ho will do better work than any outsider, because of his knowlcdgo ot . the ramifiVwitions of tho Service. Ho has been conspicuously successful in his control of the five thousand employees who for several years havo been under him' in his capacity of secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department. With two such ablo and level-headed men aa Mr Thomson and Mr Triggs to essist him, ho •is likely. to do gpod work, and before many years are over to savo tho taxiwyers of the Dominion ■many thousands of pounds a year. Some doubt hae arisen as to the interpretation of section 6,0f the Act, which provides that "any person who directly or indirectly . solicits or .endeavours to influence tho Commissioner or any Assistant Commissioner for the purpose of obtaining promotion, or increase of salary, shall bo deemed to he unworthy of such promotion or increase, and it shall not bo accorded him, and he shall bo liable to instant dismissal." It was held by some, says tho."Post," that if tho section was interpreted as written,' it would absolutely .prevent a member of tho Service making application in tho usual way for promotion or increase of salary, a step which iz was contended a . person had a perfect right to take in his own interest in any employment in tho world. A "Post" reporter referred the point to .tho Minister of Justice (the Hon. A. L. Herdman) who replied that the section in that respect would not bo interpreted literally. It was aimed at the system under which members of the Servico sought to influence or •to get others to influence, those in authority for their own benefit, by illegitimate means. There was not the slightest reason for anticipating that anyone' would bo debarred from placing a legitimate request or application before tho Commissioner or Commissioners. '

To-day the local Post Office engineers," headed by Mr S. Buckley, Chief Electrician (in tho absence of the Chief Telegraph Engineer)'," waited on Mr l>. , Robertson, Secretary Post and Telezraph Department, to-<lay, to congratulate him on his appointment. Mr Buckley referred to tie foresight of Sir Bobertson in building up the Engineers' Branch of the Service in order to meet tho : growing requirements and complexities of telegraph and telephone engineers, and instanced the practical steps taken to encourage and ensure tho suitablo education and training of the future engineers of the Service as boing a sure indication of the progressiveness of tho new Chief Commissioner.

Mr Robertson thanked tho deputation and remarked that ho would contsnno to watch with keen intorest the expansion of the engineers' sido of tho bennce, and expressed his confidence that tho technical problems of the future would be fully met by the Department's engineering branch.

Mr R Triggs, who "has just been appointed, on© of the Public Service Commissioners, received his earlr education at tho Papanui Church school, and subsequently obtained a Provincial Government scholarship which entitled him to bo educated at Christ's College, at which institution he was a scholar. On leaving Christ's College, Mr Triggs entered into commercial life •in Christchurch, and subsequently joined'tho Railway Department.