Civil Service Appointments

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 45, 17 November 1936, Page 11

Civil Service Appointments

Sir, —Many people will feel relieved to learn from Mr. Pound, as official representative of the Civil Service Association, that the appointment given to the son of the Hon. Mr. Armstrong is quite iu order and in no way in contravention of the regulations governing appointments and promotions. Mr. Pound is entitled to thanks for his prompt action in this matter. Personally, I am pleased at the outcome of his inquiry. It would be a gross injustice if the sons and daughters of Ministers of the Crown were to be barred from right of entry to the Civil Service. All that is essential is that their entry shall not be preferential to others equally entitled to consideration, and this essential appears to have been properly observed in regard to the appointments given to the sons of the Hons. Semple, Armstrong and Martin. Mr. Pound, however, appears to have overlooked a far more important matter —the lucrative appointment given to the Rev. Mr. Scrimgeour as controller of the national commercial broadcasting stations. The Minister of Broadcasting has not denied the correctness of the assumption of Mr. Hargest, M.P., that this appointment may reasonably be expected to vield the fortunate appointee something like £BOOO per annum, and possibly more 1 A very rich plum, for which doubtless many of the administrative heads of other departments and many other able and efficient officers would have been glad to apply. The heads of no other department —some of them, such as the Railways, Post and Telegraph, Public Trust, Reserve Bank, judges of the Supreme Court, etc., are weighted with much greater responsibilities—receive such handsome payment for services rendered. Indeed, not one of them can come within the proverbial “cooee” o£ Mr. Scrimgeour’s probable income of £l6O per week. I therefore appeal to Mr. Pound to obtain for public information answers to the following questions:— Were applications invited for the position ? . If not, was the appointment made m conformity with the Civil Service regulations, and without injustice to members of the service? In view of the Minister's statement in reply to Mr. Hargest that the terms of the 'appointment will be reviewed at the expiration of three months, do the terms of the appointment provide for such What other appointments have been made to the Commercial _ Broadcasting Service, and were applications invited in New Zealand for Wellington, November 16.