SECRETARY TO TREASURY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21512, 29 June 1935, Page 15

SECRETARY TO TREASURY

Appointment of Mr G. G. Rodda NOTABLE CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE [THE PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, June 28. The Hon. Aciam Hamilton, ActingMinister for Finance, announces that Lhe Public Service Commissioner has appointed Mr G. C. Rodda, at present Assistant Secretary to the Treasury, as Secretary to the Treasury, in succession to Mr A. D. Park, who is retiring to take up one of the managing directorships of the Mortgage Corporation of New Zealand. The announcement of Mr Rodda's appointment was made by the Minister at the departmental farewell to Mr Park, and it was greeted with applause. Mr Rodda received personal congratulations from the Act-ing-Minister for Finance, Mr Park, and members of the staff. Mr Rodda was born at Stafford, Westland. His father came out irom Cornwall to the colonies in the 'sixties, and finally settled in Westland, where he was well known as a Justice of the Peace and a member of various local bodies. Mr Rodda received his education at the Hokitika High School, at which he was the holder of a scholarship, and he matriculated in 1894. Having passed the junior civil service, examination, he was appointed to the Government Life Insurance Department as a cadet in that year. In 1902 he was transferred to the Treasury. On the outbreak of the war in 1914, Mr Rodda was attached to the Defence Department as officer in charge of war expenses. In 1919 he received the M.B.E. decoration for these services, and returned to the Treasury. In 1921, he passed the professional accountants' examination, and he has since been admitted as a Fellow of the Incorporated Institute of Accountants and a Fellow Registered Accountant of the New Zealand Society of Accountants. After holding various positions in the Treasury, including that of secretary to the Local Government Loans Board, Mr Rodda was appointed assistant secretary and accountant in 1930. He was attached to the New Zealand delegation which visited London in 1933 to attend the monetary and economic conference.

FAREWELL TO MR A. D. PARK MINISTER'S TRIBUTE TO RETIRING SECRETARY "LOYAL AND ABLE SERVICE" [THE PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, June 28. Nearly 100 members of the T-eas-ury Department assembled in Wellington this afternoon to-day to bid farewell to Mr A. D, Park, C.M.G., who has resigned from the post of Secretary to the Treasury to become one. of the two joint managing directors of the new Mortgage Corporation of New Zealand. His successor, Mr G. C. Rodda, whose appointment was announced by the Acting-Minister for Finance, the Hon. Adam Hamilton, presided. The Minister, in making a p:3sentation of a six-valve wireless set from the Treasury staff to Mr Park, paid tribute to the retiring secrets ■ and to the department as a whole. It was a pleasure to be present, and to express appreciation of loyal and able service, he said. Mr Park had been head of the Treasury for five and a half years, and had been called upon to deal with many difficult and abnormal conditions. His work had given complete satisfaction to the Government. Though there was an element of regret over his departure from the Treasury, they all were' pleased with Mr Park's appointment to his new position, in which-he would have scope for his ability. He had entered the Public Service as a youth, and had made his way to the head of an important department. It was a great thing to enter at the bottom of the ladder and to leave from the top. "Thex-e is always the top of a jcb," said the Minister, . "and every worker should look to the top." Mr Hamilton expressed the opinion that in its finance New Zealand compared favourably with any other country in the world. The Dominion had grappled with difficult times, and the Treasury Department had helped the Goverpment to keep expenditure within prudent bounds. Indeed, the National Debt actually had been reduced. The Minister, in announcing the appointment of Mr Rodda as Secretary to the Treasury, expressed his confidence that the loyal cooperation which had been enjoyed by Mr Park would be extended to his successor. (Applause.) Everything would be all right so long as there was not a change of Government. (Laughter.) Tributes to Mr Park were also paid by Mr Rodda and by Mr B. C. Ashwin, second assistant secretary to the Treasury.

Thirty-five Years' Service Mr Park, who has had T" years' service with the State, said he was facing a milepost in his official career. It had come with such sud--"ness as to remind him of a "stop" sign at a railway crossing. "To-day," he said, "I stop active duties as an officer of the Government. I enter immediately on a period of some five weeks' leave without pay. Concurrently, I take up duty as a managing director of the Mortgage Corporation of New

Zealand. On August 5, I permanently retire from the Public Service." Reviewing his career, Mr Park said he could honestly come to the conclusion that he had realised his youthful ambitions. During his 35 years' service, he had occupied some 13 specific positions in seven different departmental organisations, which meant less than an average of three years in any one position. He urged upon young members ol the staff the value of experience in district offices, and the value also of specialisation. Four qualities were worth cultivating, if one desired to get out of the ruck. These were loyalty, efficiency, courtesy, and promptness. He said he woulu leave the service with regret. Be oaid eloquent tribute tb th? Trc-r.-ury officers and staff for the ; r unfailing co-operation. In conr'-'fjor-he referred to the maW nrobJe-rir wh'cWthe Tvpsury had had to cc-po. with Wnce ] 930.