“Disturbing Factors” In Survey Of Public Service

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28434, 14 November 1957, Page 6

“Disturbing Factors” In Survey Of Public Service

‘The Press” Special Service

MJCKLMD, November 13. The quality of New Zealand’s Public Service is discussed by Mr I. D. Dick, asistant secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, in a survey of graduates in the Public Service published in the “New Zealand Journal of Public Administration.” Mr Dick classifies what he calls “disturbing factors” revealed by his survey. It is suggested that the academic quality of the Public Service is declining. Mr Dick says in his analysis that there are only 94 men in the clerical division with first or second-class honours degrees. “The first point of interest is whether the clerical division needs only 94 men with first or second-class honours, and whether it should be able to recruit more of the outstanding graduates from the university. “Closer analysis leads to interesting results. Almost 70 per cent, of the officers with either first or second-class degrees are to be found in only six departments,” he says. Mr Dick says that these departments are ones which have to advise on a large number of important decisions, and so it was not really surprising that between them they employed most of the better-qualified graduates. “But, it surely dues cause concern to find that 30 per cent of them are to be found in one department only—External Affairs. Although not denying that New Zealand should be represented overseas by the best possible people, it cannot be denied that our economic and other problems should be handled by people on the average at least as well qualified as those who deal with our foreign policy.” He says that two further disturbing factors arise when the data are subdivided into broad groups according to classification grades. It would appear almost certain, says Mr Dick, that there are not sufficient graduates in the junior

grades to replace those in the more senior group as the latter leave the service. Second, the academic level of the junior group is not as high as the senior. Of the 167 in the senior group, 19 per cent, have second-class honours or better, compared with 11 per cent, in the junior group. “Is it too pessimistic to conclude that the service is going to face the ever-increasingly complex problems of the future with an academically less-qualified staff than it has had in the past?” Mr Dick asks.