AN ORDERED HOUSE

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 50, 27 August 1920, Page 8

AN ORDERED HOUSE

CIVIL SERVICE BEFORM,

That there should be a-.complete overhaul of certain Departments of' State was urged by the Hpn. J. A. Hanan (Invereargill) in the ,House of.Repre-. sentatives yesterday. In ■ England;-and, . Australia "commissions and inquiries had been undertaken withVa view, to bringing; about, greater, efficiency, stopping waste and slackness,' and inducing greater economy. In England there had be^en inquiries made by. boards comprising Civil servants,' members, of Parliament, and outside business mciv and ..these had resulted in '• ecdnom'ies' -being 'effected. There was a great call for expenditure nowadays, and it- was time they had 'a.-: thorough overhaul of the Public Works Department. While advocating' economy, their..first.duty was to practise •it as they could' do without reducing efficiency. The Public - Service-.Commis-sioner drew attention to the. way in ■which new' Departments'; were springing up. -There •'■ must ■he some check on, this. '•!■■ • •■■ ■ ■'.'.• • -, ■ ... This view was supported by Mr. G. W. Forbes (Hurunui), who urged that.; if there were, not time,for a Parliament- , ary Committee to ...look into the matter, they should have a board of business men from outside. Such a board would be able-to recommend methods of effecting economies. If the Prime Minister ■was slack; he was not the only one to be blamed.,- Members of. the Hoyaewer'e. Warned, also. ... /■,.,.. ■■' Mr. Massey : ' "There is scarcely a, member of the House that has not been asking for more money." ' Mr. -Forbes : "That has nothing to do with- the methods of expenditure." "It.is: high time that we looked; into this question of internal administra-. tion," said Hoii. A. T. Ngata, He asked whether, the Prime Minister was satisfied now with: the.Public Service Commissioners.. , ' '" ■' . The'Pfime Minister : "They are doing very good work." Mr. -Ngata suggested that the system had gone too f far, and that the executive councils of the Dominion haa not the control that was necessary for :an efficient discharge of policy. -, ,

The Prime Minister said a Bill would lie brought down" to'strengthen the control instead of weakening it, and would remove some weaknesses in the system.