CHALLENGE OF AN APPOINT MENT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1866, 27 September 1913, Page 8

CHALLENGE OF AN APPOINT MENT.

MR. BROWN'S POSITION. THE'MINISTER'S POWERS. Mr. T. M. Wilford said that he did not intend to spend any more time over the Royd Guriick appointment. Ho had another appointment that he wanted inquired into with the press present.. If the Minister would set up a committee to inquire into the appointment of Mr. Brown, Director of Technical Education, the country would get a surprise that it had never got yet. Within a fortnight from now epery newspaper in New Zealand would be writing leading articles 011 this subject. He would call every member of the Education Department if the Government gave him this inquiry. On page 164® of . the Education Commission's report' members would find the evidence of Mr. George George, Director of Technical' Education in Auckland, who. commenced his experience of - technical education at the Merchant Venturers' College in 1889, and had since fully qualified at various Scotch and English institutions. He quoted Mr. George's record for purposes of comparison. A fow years ago, down in Timaru, ho continued, worked a Mr. Hogben. Under Mr. Hogben worked a Mr. Brown, who came to New Zealand with a qualification practically equal to the matriculation' examination. He interested himself in wood-working at Timaru, and later 011 was transferred to Wellington as a clerk in Mr. Hogben's officc. This man (Mr. Brown) had suddenly been promoted to tho posi-< tion of Director of Technical Education in New Zealand. He had been' made Director simply by Gazette notice. Tho appointment of Mr. Brown, Mr. Wilford declared, was more unworthy and more unwarranted than Mr. Royd Garlick's. The position had not been advertised. MINISTER EXPLAINS. -THE COMMISSIONER'S CLASSIFICATION. Tho Hon. Jas. Allen said that Mr. Brown had been appointed to the Education Department 011 January 28, 1901,, Ho had been twelve years in the Service. The Public Service Commissionel's had gazetted a preliminary Classification. In that Classification Mr. Brown was designated Inspector and Director of Technical Education. "The Public Service Commissioners put that in themselves," said the Minister, "and I know nothing whatever about it. They never submitted it to 1110. It is not their business to submit it to me." To a question, the Minister said that the salary -provided was £480-£o7y. Ho had not.appointed Mr.. Brown twelve years ago, ..and Mr. Brown's name had never come "beforo him as Minister for any appointment. Mr. G. W. Russell asked whether tho Public Service Commissioners had power to create new offices and to advance a man from the position of inspector to that of Director. Surely the Commissioners had not power to take'tho administration of a Department out of the hands of the Minister? The admission of the Minister .for Education that lie knew nothing about this was alarming. The appointment was a new one. Mr. Allen said that there was 110 new appointment. Mr. Russell: Tho man is down as an inspector, and now he is made a director. Opposition Critics. Mr. J., Payne was ordered by tho Cliairni.lll to withdraw, and apologised for a remark that, the Minister's statement was utterly false. He did so. Next he went on to remark that a rumour was spreading abroad that the people who got the plums in tho Education Department wore those who came from Timaru and belonged to the Congregational Church. Later, Mr. Payno dceiared that Mr. Brown was a COll- - ilr. L. M. Isitt said he would wait developments with interest. Mr. T. K. Sidey considered that an explanation should be furnished by tho Government. Mr. G. W. Forbes said that an impossible position had been created. They had heard the Minister get up and say that he had nothing to do with the creation of an important new appointment. What was a Minister for? A NAME ONLY. MR. PAYNE'S ASSERTION REBUTTED. The Hon. Jas. Allen said that tho Estimates he was defending were lor the salaries of inspectors. The 11011. gentleman (Mr. Wilford) had raised a question that had cropped up under the Classification of the I'ublic Service Commissioners. Mr. Brown had not been appointed by him to any post whatever. He had entered the Service in 1901, and remained in it since. What the Public Service Commissioner had done was to apply a name to an office and not create a new office. As to salary, the Education Department, he believed, had recommended that Mr. Brown and three other inspectors .should he put on the same basis. The Commissioners did not adopt this recommendation, lull, after examining the officers, fixed Mr. Brown's salary at L'ISD-i'oTo. The Kstimates provided i'-lofl, aiid if Mr. Itiown's classified position was finally approved he (the Minister) would bring down on the Supplementary Estimates another ;CHf). The name of the office held by Mr. Brown was a name and nothing else. Under the law the Commissioners had power to name an office. 1 Section 31. Subsection (a), provided

that the Commissioners should grade officers mid classify and assign work, duties, and ollices. That was the law. The matter had not come before him for consideration yet. It would when he came to deal with the Supplementary Estimates. H was for him to appropriate the. salary put into the Supplementary Estimates, and nobody olso could do it. Opposition member: You must do it. Sir. Allen: There is no must about it. T have absolute power over the Estimates and so has the House. Some honourable member had raised the question of Mr. Hrown's religion. It was a most improper thing to do, and still more improper since it was absolutely wrong. He was informed that Mr. 11l own was an Anglican, and bad been an Anglican all his life. The New and the Old. The Hon. F. M. H. Fisher said the debate had furnished the very Best reason lor the appointment of Public Service Commissioners. It was the first time in his experience of Parliament that he had ever heard the religion of members of the Public Service discussed on the floor of the House. When the Opposition had to seize upon the religion of a Public Servant to attack the Government it was time a change was made. Everyone knew that those debates were prompted by disappointed men who thought tliev should liavo got positions. It would be a good thing for Parliament when they were debarred from discussing Civil Servants' religion. It 'was said that under the present system the Minister had to go cap in hand to the head of a. Department to find out what had been done. But surely this was better than tlio old method of the Minister going down to the Department with- his big boots 011 and directing who should bo appointed. It was well known that the Government had stilled <he Labour Party for years by taking the leading Labour men and putting them into the Public Service. The new system was better than the old. A Comparison Upset. The Hon. Jas. Allen said that Mr. Brown was receiving now exactly the amount that appeared on the Estimutcb —£-150 a year—and was doing exactly the same work as he had ljetn doing for some' time past. It bad been said by Mr. Wifford that Mr. George George, of Auckland, would have applied for tins position to which Mi. Brown had been classified if it had been advertised. Mr. Wilford: I said he was a better man. Mr. Allen said that Mr. George George Would not have sought this position: at £480 a year, for he was getting ifiOO a year now, and was called director now. Mr. Howell, of Christchurch, was also getting £600 a year, and ho had come from Auckland, and not from England. The Debate Dies Out. The Prime Minister, after some other members had spoken, intervened to remark, that the debate had pretty well fizzled "out, for the reason that members had the facts; He was acquainted with iUr. George George, who was - a particularly capable man, and he donbt,ed very much whether Mr. George ' George would enter tlio service of tne Education Department even at a salary of £600 or £TOO a year. Mr. Brown bad been in the Education -Department for twelve years, and they had heard a particularly goocl account of Mr. Brown coming, through the Minister, from the head of the Department.. Air. Hanan hail said that 111 his experience' as a Lformer. Minister of the .Department, Mr. Brown was a particularly capable, particularly painstaking, and a satisfactory officer. Surely the member for Hutt would not suggest that with such nn officer available they should have gone outside the service ? Mr. Wilford said that he would have obtained the best man in New Zealand. Mr. Massey submitted that surely the right thing to do was to encourage this officer, and give him the promotion to which he was entitled. Mr. A\ ilford ' had suggested that this should not he done. The result of giving elect to either of these suggestions would be to destroy the whole organisation of the Public Servicc. Mr. Wilford Answers Questions. Mr. Wilford thanked the Prime Minister for tlio way in which he had met his (Mr. Wilford's) arguments, and for treating him like a gentleman. The contrast was delightful. As to Mr. Massey's. first question his answer would be that usually he would not advise going outside New Zealand when a man was wanted to fill a position in the Public Service, but in the case of an appointment so important as that of Director of Technical Education, he would advertise for the best man in New Zealand, and, if neccssary, 110 would go outside New Zealand. As to the second point, whether this officer was not .entitled to get promotion to tliis position bv virtue of his capacity, 110 admitted' that this was a strong argument in favour of giving the man the billet. It was the only argument thathad been adduced. He would have given the officer his increment, double iiis increment if necessary, lmt lie would not have given him the billet if a better man could have been got. The discussion was continued by Mr. Forbes, but then lapsed, and the subclass, Manual and Technical Instruction (which covers Mr. Brown's salary) was passed 011 the voices. Mr. Royd Carlick. Mr. T. M. Wilford moved that the salary of the Director of Physical Training (Mr. Royd Carlick) be reduced by £200 "for a start," as an indication that 110 ought not to receive more than anv teacher in New Zealand. Tho Hon. Jas. Allen pointed out that there was 110 regulation in the Public Service which would prevent Mrs. Royd Garlick conducting a physical culture school. He contended that Mr. Royd Garlick was absolutely tlio best man in New .Zealand for the post he filled. r (Left sitting.) ft