"AN IDEAL HEAD"

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 151, 30 June 1925, Page 7

"AN IDEAL HEAD"

PRESENTATION TO MR. D. G

CLARK

RKTJKIiMKNT 01^ COMMISSIONER

OV TAXES.

. .Mr. D. G. 'Clark, Commissioner of Taxes, retires to-day on superannuation., after forty ■ gears' service. At a gathering, of tho staff this morning a presentation was made to Mr. Clark-, and addresses were delivered by the Minister in charge of - the Department and others, in -acknowledging the valuable work done by Mr. Clark and the splendid example he had set as head of a Government Department. ■ Mr. A.E. Fowler, Deputy Commissioner of Taxes, who presided, expressed his own regret and.: also that of the staff at the retirement of Mr. Clark, and expressed their best wishes for his future happiness.- -..--. -The Hon. W. Nosworthy, -Minister ia .Charge, of- the Tax Department, said Mr. Clark joined, the Department as a, cadet in 1885, tho Department being then known-as the Property Tux Department. He subsequently rose to tho position of inspecting accountant. In 1913 ho-"was promoted to tho position of Deputy Gom- ' imssimier of Taxes. In the following year he was appointed Commissioner of Taxes which, position ho had occupied for the past eleven years. His term of office included; the years of tho Great War and _the trying period following': the .Armistice, when taxation irTtho Dominion was at its maximum, and when, in addition, there'was. the- responsibility of tixing the taxpayers' compulsory contribution to the War Loans. Mr. Clark's reputation:for.'fairness and justice enabled him to carry: out those duties successfully, and in recognition of.his work ho had in 1918 conferred upon him the distinction cf.0.8.E., and, in 1924 was awarded : the' distinction of C.B'.E Always approachable,, Mr. Clark had been an ideal head of a Government Department,: and had enjoyed in .full measure: .tno goodwill and devotion of his staff, rhe good name and the reputation' of the Department had always been ''.Mr. ' Clark's chief consideration, and he was ! now -retiring, with an excellent/ record'; of faithful public service well performed. The Minister-then, on behalf of the staff, presented Mr; Clark with ;a-chest of sil-"! yerware and set of cutlery. 1 . ; Appreciatory.. remarks, of Mr. Clark's '< services and sterlin£;cliaracter were alsomade by . Mr. P. Verscbaffelt,. Public .Service Commissioner, - and'. '■Mr. .E. Cumming,,'chief:'clerk of the Tax De- ! partment. . . . > , . .-. <| ;; •'. MR.: CLARK'S REPLY. /. _•.. In reply, Mr.. Clark; thanked: the Minister and. the other speakers for the kind remarks they had made 'with' 'regard to his services; and: also thanked the staff for their handsome gift. "This day." said Mr. Clark with -nmch feeling, ''brings me back in memory. to the day when I first joined the Service, on Monday, 22nd June, 1885. I came straight from school ,to the^ old Property -Tax . Office. Mr. .John M'Gown was then chief clerk.' It was a dark winter's day, and I thought that old building the most desolate place I; ever. went. into. -The Department was I a very small one then. There were only between 20 arid 30 permanent.'officers, and some of them were pretty rough," -he added .amidst laughter. Proceeding, Mr. Clark said//the Department had grown tremendously;, since then. During recent:years'"especially the Department had passed through .very strenuous times..;Looking.back,.they could hardly realise, how-they. got through the years: of the war and those immediately sue -ceeding it. .-Clearing up arears of work after the Avuriwas-very-difficult, but they managed to weather the'storm. He was proud to": have been associated with a Department that had weathered the storm': so well. He thought the service ot the State was a great service. He did npt want; to decry money altogether—for it. was right that a ; man should be paid well enough for his service to enable him to live decently and keep liis family, recently:;,but money should, not bo the main object. Service should be first, and that ideal he had tried:to.carry but: Ho.had always tried to realise that as members of tho service 1 of- the State they should meet peophyin as;friendly a spirit as possibJe' and, not try to take advantage of them VNlien one set his mind to do that it was^astoiushing how easy.it ivns Co' do so .1 hero were many little things'one did an. that way in tho ordinary. course of duty which had a wonderful -effect in promoting*goodwill amongst the people of.-the. country. Ho might venture to say-that he had received ma U y proofs of that-and one of them was.a touching .letter he had only received that, morning.-It related to an incident of some slight assistance and advice ho had given the writer which had entirely passed from his memory. He valued such a; letter; it meant a lot to him. the present gathering and. that of the. previous day would remain in his memory as long as he lived. To all present ho tendered hia sincere thanks"