IN SUSPENSE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 504, 11 May 1909, Page 4

IN SUSPENSE.

The country is still awaiting ~-with ~in-r terest and curiosity, and the Civil Servico with uneasiness and anxiety, tho details', of the Government's scheme foi reorganising 'the' public;'; Departments. The Dominion—no - doubt ; the . 'other Wellington nowspapers are in tho same position—has in the last month or two. had abundant proofs, of character, that the suspense'in' 1 which tho Public Service has been kept-by the Gov-, omment's failure to annoupcc its intentions' has grown acutcly distressing, to the members, of-the Civil Service. But it is common knowledge, in any casej that .this is : so. .Many, weeks . have elapsed since, the, Prime Minister ■ announced that his Bclieme of reorganisation and retrenchment would 'save the country £250,000' a year, but day follows day, and' the public is ,as much in the dark as ever respecting the changes which are to effect this saving. On a previous occasion we expressed doubt ,as to whether 'thjl- Government had made up its mind, or had even any definite ideas as to "what it would do. Having-named a definite amount of saving, however, the Pbime .Minister, must not blame the public if he is regarded , as showing by his delay a rather callous disregard for the feelings of the Civil Servants. ' Although oho has to speak of tho Civil Servico as of an abstract- institution, it must hot be forgotten that it, is composed of individual human boings. To keep the Civil Service in suspense is therefore to inflict suffering upon these individuals and to bring unhappiness and anxioty into their homes. A retrenchment scheme fully explained and put into operation without delay cannot produce in the total more than a fraction of the unhappiness that has to go to debit when, explanation and operation are suspended as in the present case. : In the one • case' only the actual victims i suffer; in the other anxiety and uncertainty fall .upon all.

Tho Government's delay 'shows a regrettable lack of consideration for members of the : Public Service. The Prime Minister has the name of a humane man, and his humanity should' lead him , to end the suspense of . the Civil Servants. Perhaps ho does not quite realise the value of as long notice as possible to the Civil Servant who is to be turned adrift. Many of thoso who will be rendered superfluous by the amalgamation of the Departments are men who have como to regard .their work; as their settled' profession. In a very real degree, service in a State Department unfits a man for. success in private employment; a very few years in the Public : Service will leave him with much to learn , and much to unlearn if he is to make li decent liv-, irig in the larger world outside the Departmental offices. Served with a definite notice that in such a timo as might be he would bo no longer required by the Department in which he is employed, that man would be able to set about equipping himself for private employment and considering his future. By. affording the persons affected as long a time as possible' to make their arrangements, and acting generally on the principle that any changes desired should be brought about'gradually, but without undue delay, the Government could carry out the much-needed policy of cconomy without , more than a fraction of the hardship and suffering which its present tactics are producing. The full details of the new order of things should have been made public long ago. That is too plain to be disputed by anybody. The truth of the matter is probably that tho Government, without, troubling to givo

the situation the serious attention which 1 the rights of the public and of the Civil Servants required, made its vague announcement of impending retrenchment only with the hope of bluntipg the edge of the criticism that it knew would fall upon its monstrous piling up of the cost of administration.