PUBLIC SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1531, 29 August 1912, Page 6

PUBLIC SERVICE.

APPOINTMENTS ON'mEMBERS' RECOMMENDATIONS. A RETURN. » . The Hon.W. F. MASSEY (Prime Minister) presented a return chowing the names of nil persons appointed to tha i'ublio Service (including tho Railway Department and the Education Department; I tfiirinj; the financial years 1008-1), 1909-10, and the recommendations ol members of either Jlou?e of Purliament, and tho names of the member who made each recommendation. Sir JOSEPH WARD (Awnrua) asked whether discrimination was made in setting forth as recommendatiens all appointments in connection with which a member's name might have been mentioned He had made it a rule all his life never to give a recommendation to anybody ho did not know. The Hon. A. L. HERDMAN (AttorneyGeneral) said ho was not quite sure of. the meaning of the question. He had seen tho return, and the dato of appointment was given, and the name of the member who recommended the appointee was given. Among them was one by the Prime Minister. Sir Joseph Ward: Yes, and you will also find there is ono by tho Leader of theGovernment. Mr. Herdman: I said the Prime Minister. (Laughter.) Mr. T. M. WILFORD (Hutt) asked what might occur in tho ease of a member ol larlmmcnt having given a testimonial ■ addressed ,lo whom it may concern." without knowledgo of ■whether tho person was going to use the testimonial in apply- . ing for a post in tho Civil Service The Hon. A. L. HERDMAN replied that He had no doubt that in the return this would appear as a recommendation. Tho return had been ordered when the iate Inmo Minister was in office, and ths ' whole matter must have- been gone into -bv ' the lots Ministry. .. , ' ;i M h ,L ■}'■ <* a P ier > as *ed j whether it would be given out that a ' member of Parliament hail made recommendations when he had merely ml- J dressed a letter to the applicant, and not ': to the Minister. Mr W. C. BUCHANAN (Wairarapa) said there was a class of case in connection with which ho would like to know what was done-the case in which, a letter ' was written to o , member by a friend : of tho applicant, and in which the letter ' was sent on without comment bv the ' member to the Minister. A member ' might bo held responsible for having ' mad/j a_recommendation, when, as a mat"- ' ter ot'fnct, he had done no such thin". ' Mr.'Or. V. RUSSELL (Avon) >aid he j had by courtesy of the Prime Minister been allowed-to see.tho report; and there ' was nothing mitto he alarmed about. I tl U'fI 1 ' & >\ ILI ; 0R D (HutH claimed ' that,the Minister for Justice had made a mistake 111 making a reference to- a ' request by him (Mr. Wilford) for employment for someone. ' Mr.. Herdman: I admit I made a. mis- ] take. I was thinking of tho Police Com- < mission s report. 1 ■ 7\ e H .°, n v- W ,- F / MASSEY (Prime Min- 1 ister) said he had nothing to do with the ! return, except to lay it upon the tablo of ' the House. Hβ understood from the Min-" ■ ister for Justice, however, that the recom- ] mendations in each case were special ' recommendations. ■ 1 (