CRITICS ASSAILED

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 7, 9 July 1945, Page 7

CRITICS ASSAILED

CANDOUR FROM R. 0.1.

PUBLIC SERVICE QUALITY A fighting defence of the intelligence, initiative, and ability of Government servants against the critical attacks which were said to be common today was a high light of the speeches at the golden jubilee relaiion on Saturday of the Railway Officers' Institute. Mr. E. Casey, until recently General Manager of the New Zealand Railways, set the topic alight with a frank expression of opinion on the comparative qualities demanded and realised by Government Departments and private industry. Mr. Casey introduced the subject by urging all railway officers to give of their best, for "anybody who lets the Department down in any respect, be he a porter, a clerk, a stationmaster, or a general manager, robs the Department of a certain amount of its efficiency. "There''are some views being expressed throughout the country that if a man is working for the Government he must be lacking to a considerable degree in that intelligence and ability are granted to people in private industry," contined Mr. Casey. "In 41s years I have known the service intimately, I know how wrong such criticism is. * "Anything that is written that tends to lower the public confidence in Government servants should be replied to promptly and effectively. None do their work more faithfully and with more intelligence and initiative than those in the Government Departments." Mr. Casey cited the Public Trust. State Insurance Offices, the Post and Telegraph, and the Railways Departments as examples where ability, intelligence, and initiative were in evidence and were encouraged to at least as great a degree as was the case in private industrial and commercial concerns. War years had specially proved that. "SHOULD TAKE ACTION." "The railway service in particular should take some action to squash this idea that if a man or woman is working for the Government he or she must be atrophied, and wooden from the neck upwards," concluded Mr. Casey amid applause. Responding to the toast of the executive of the R. 0.1., which Mr. Casey had been supporting, the institute's president, Mr. M. J. Forde, said he was very glad that Mr. Casey had spoken as he had of those who decried any sort of public enterprise. "I think the time has arrived when we should defend our departments and our jobs and answer any attacks on the public service,"" said Mr. Forde. 1 think it's time that we did assert ourselves. If the public servants combine to repel the attacks being made upon them now, I dare say there is no political party that would dare to flout their wishes." Mr. J. S. Roscoe, general secretary of the institute, also responding to the toast, said he endorsed every word ol Mr. Casey and Mr. Forde on the subject The outlook for the future as regards the militancy of the organisation would be poor indeed if unwarranted criticism went unanswered. It was not encouraging the staff to be good railwaymen, but he would say that their fine traditions of the past would be even bettered in the future. Proposing the toast to the railway administration, the president of the institute, North Island branch, Mr. J. W. Shepherd, said he would defy anyone 'inside or outside the service to say that their executive officers would not measure up to anyone that liked to step out of any industry in the land. With man-power and coal shortages, plus the emergency difficulties which had arisen through the war, the administration had done a job ■ more troublesome than that encountered by any private industry. ' The Minister -of Railways (Mr. Semple), responding to the toast, spoke •of the difficulties of the war years, when the railways had done a job second to none. In a further response to the toast, the General Manager of Railways, Mr. J. Sawers, said that .responsible men from abroad had told him that the officers and men in the New Zealand railways could hold their own anywhere Whatever the problems of the future, the railways had the men and the brains to see them through.