Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1903. THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 55, 2 September 1903, Page 4

Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1903. THE CIVIL SERVICE.

The House of Representatives last evening, by the narrow majority of four votes, escaped affirming the principle that the power of making appointments to the Civil Service should be taken from the Government and placed in the hands of an independent Board. But for an oversight of the member for Wairarapa, who remained in the Chamber although " paired," and consequently had to vote for the Government, the majority against the proposal would have been one less. The question of the control of the public service is one that calls for serious attention. In the House last Friday evening, the senior member for Christchurclx City (Mr. T. E. Taylor) painted to some of the evils that have arisen under the present system of political control, and the Premier's answer was in effect that Governments -which, had preceded him had done worse; that he had treated his opponents and the frienda of his opponents more liberally than they deserved, and he was not piepared to let this condition of things go on. Mr. Seddon, probably smarting under the sting of Mr. Taylor's pungent remarks, allowed his feelings to cany him further than ho would ordinarily dare tg go. The threat contained in his words is the most emphatic declaration of the policy of " Spoils to the victors " that he has ventured to make to the House for some time past, and it is evident that he thinks he has correctly estimated the great lengths to which liis new followers in Parliament appear prepared to allow themselves to be dragged. The Premier endeavoured to rob Mr. Taylor's criticism of its effect by professing to regard his remarks as being a personal attack directed at him through his^relatives. It was an astute move, for Mr. Taylor has on occasions discounted his attacks on abuses by introducing a personal 1 element quite foreign to the public issues involved, and no doubt Mr. Seddon imagined that a further lapse on his part would occasion little surprise. In the present case, however, we fail to see how the Premier can seek shelter under the plea of personalities. If he chooses to appoint his son and his daughter and other relatives to public positions those appointments are open to criticism just as much as appointments of political friends or strangers, and he must bear the brunt of his own administrative acts. The real issue, however, is much larger than the question of what Mr. Seddon's, relatives, or those of any ofSer Minister, receive from the public purse, although the point made by Mr. Taylor is a perfectly legitimate one as affording an example of what is being done. What requires amendment is the system of making appointments to the public service. Under the Civil Service Reform Act it was specifically provided that no appointment, except of experts, should be made without competitive examination. The clause dealing with the matter reads as follows : — "Every person who after the passing of this Act shall be appointed to the Civil Service of the colony shall only enter such service as a cadet under competitive examination as provided in section 9, and after he or she has been proved to be physically fit for the service." The clause gives the Vuditor-General power to refuse to pass vouchers for payment of salary to any person appointed contrary to the section, with the following proviso: — "Nothing in, this section contained, however, shall apply to any person skilled in medicine, law, navigation, science, technical art, or the management of live stock, or in naval or military matters, nor to persons who are now employed as extra clerks in the public service." Appointments to the Defence and Police services and to the Prisons are also excepted. Another clause in the same Act is wider in its scope than that quoted above. It reads : "All appointments to the Civil bervice shall be by competitive examination . . . the most successful competitors in their order of merit shall be selected candidates to fill all vacant cadetships in the Civil Service." The system of recruiting the Service here proposed is plhinly indicated, and its value is easily seen. As vacancies occurred it was intended to promote those in the lower grades of the Service., their places in

turn to be filled by those who in competitive examination had gained highest honours. By this means the public would secure the service of the most capable o;f the youth of tb)s colony offering itself for public positions. The provision made exempting from examina vion experts whose services might be required in any particular Department was, of course, necessary, and no objection could be raised to it if the intention of the clause had been adhered to. But the whole principle of the Act has been ■shamelessly evaded. Appointments are not — it might almost be said never — made purely on competitive merit, and whenever it is impossible to make a political appointment in any other way the difficulty is overcome by dubbing the person to be appointed an "expert." The clerk" farce, too, has grown^ to ridiculous proportions. We find men of ten, twelve, fifteen, and possibly longer, years of service masquerading' under the title of temporary clerks. The whole system needs reorganising, and this will never be done while the Service remains under political control. Four supporters of the Government — Messrs. Taylor, Ell, Laurenson, and Tanner — voted last night to place the Civil Service in charge of a Board of Management independent of party politics, but unfortunately the great bulk of the Ministerial following appears disinclined to forego the power of patronage the present condition of things permits. How long the people of the colony will tolerate the sacrifice of the efficiency of the public service to the political exigencies of the party in power remains to be seen. A few disclosures such as those made by Mr. Taylor last Friday evening should do much to arouse .public interest in the unsatisfactory condition of things prevailing, and perhaps lead to remedial measures.