THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1216, 26 August 1911, Page 14

THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Sir,—Mr.' Edward T. Evans having failed to name those Departments wiuen he declares'are overmanned, tno inference is that he cannot do so. Instead, he inaKes another statement to ' the same effect, viz., "the wort of the Departments might usually be done by half tno number of persons' employed," and that "this is vouched lor by .honourable past and present Civil Servants." Will he name the past Civil, Servants who say so? Mr. Evans complains about the Government having "so much patronage to dispense," and says, "such a condition of tilings is unknown in the Old Country." What about the Government Service at Home being stuffed with hare-brained nominees of tho British aristocracy? As regards Mr. Evans's opinion 'that all those appointed to the New Zealand Civil Service in future should pass an educational test, the mere passing of an educational test is no guarantee that the person who passes it is as capable or more capable of efficiently carrying out Departmental duties than one who has not passed it. Take tho caso of gentlemen employed in other avocations—the journalistic profession, for instance. It does not follow by any, means 'that, becauso a newspaper editor has- secured an M.A. degree, he is a better leader writer than another editor who has not passed a high educational test. By way of a parting shot, .Mr. Evans assures us that ho has "much more to say." Well, let him be prepared to prove what ho says, instead of drawing upon his Celtic imagination.—l am, etc.. '