STAFFING THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 416, 27 January 1909, Page 6

STAFFING THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Close- on a thousand Now Zealand scholars who hope to obtain position? in the over-crowded Civil Service of the Dominion are recorded' as having' passed tlio* should rather say prescribed —examination this year. It is not to bo expected that tho Government will offer- oadotßhipa to all those, though the State machine can hardly be too complex ; {or ; its political uses. We understand that last year about 200 offers of positions were .made to boys and girls who had passed the' examination, and nearly half the, offers were'.rejected.. As the public service becomes' a more capacious receptacle for the Government to 'fill,. it becomes less attractive to many who prefer breathings space and elbow-room in a professipn. It need not be thought, however, that because about 200 successful candidates for exam-; inq,tion received offers of positions last year, no ono who is below the 200 th place thjs year can possibly obtain an appointment. The boy wjjo passed- in the BOotl\ place need not ab'andon hopei if flaJy/.tUB political influence he sufficient,

It is an old scandal of tho Civil Service, not only that boys low down on the examination list are frequently appointed long before thoir turn, but also that appointments are sometimes made of youths who have never.seen an examination paper. It i<s significant of the extent of this abuse i that such.an independent authority as the Chancellor of the University (Sir Egbert Stout).has' felt impelled to protest against it in eorno plain-spoken remarks ;to the : Senate. Sir Robert ■ Stout "declared that positions in the public service of the: Dominion had been, allotted to persons ,wbeu they. should have, been given to others, whom they were below. Ho would ovon venture to-say that, there wore many appointments to the Civil. Service of persons who had never passed tho examination stipulated. In making those remarks' he thought that it was well to ventilate the matter, as justice would be insisted upon if public opinion were aroused," Public opinion Has been aroused, before, but it is a forgetful powor, that does not hear long resentments, and the Chancellor can still point out injustice.' h The advantage, of the present system is, that it is not easy to complain when 1 the BOOth candidate is appointed before the-; 50th. Tho examination results are forgotten by the general public boforo the first twenty candidates receive their bil'lets, and if'number 80Q is appointed long boforo his turn, few will note tho anomaly, or roinembor'his place on the list in regard:to: other. candidates, by.; tho time his' appointment is gazetted, possibly' three months ■ later. And afterwards, what valid objection can be mado to the presence in the-Civil Service of a youth who 1 .has indubitably passed the entrance examination? In ordinary years, which are not characterised' by tho numerous retirements on superannuation which will doubtless be adduced as justification for gpnerous 1 appointments from tho lat'est list, it is not easy to see whore the vacancies occur in: the..Civil Service, which a , hundred .or more new appointment? ° are, roquired to fill.' Every unbiased man admits that the service.is over-staffed, yet numerous additions to the staff are yearly made. Tho position recalls the riddle of our childhood's days, "all the rivers run into tho sea, yet tho sea is not. full." Thanks are due to Sir Robert Stout for his prnin speaking \in tho public intproßt, and proceedings should bo talfen when Parliament meets with tho' object of coneluding. the . present grievances. It .might be a good beginning of rofoym to increase tho standard of the ; Civil Service 'junioy examination, so that several hundred candidates, for whom tho service cannot pos* sibly have room, shall no longer pass.