THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Evening Star, Issue 14687, 3 October 1911, Page 2

THE CIVIL SERVICE.

SOME PLAIN SPEAKING. At the Civil Service Association's dinner on Saturday night Mr J. Reid, the secretary, remarked that the service to his mind was composed of four different classes. There- were the modest, retiring gentlemen —the men who preferred to blush unseen, and who -would rather suffer their wrongs than vent their grievances. They were, be believed, ashamed of the service, forgetting that it was a most imjwrtant factor in the life of the people. They ignored the fact which they all knew that in £he name of the* Civil Service appointments were made which caused men to brush for the people who were responsible for them. Secondly., there were the superior persons, who looked with disdain on the enthusiasts. These need not be considered. Thirdly, tn-ere ware the indifferent *' nine to five" men. These were the men covered with rnpt and dust, who w-ei-e tho clogs m the wheels of tho Civil Service. Lastly, there were the enthusiasts—tho men who recognised that there were wrongs, and that there were means of remedying these wrongs. The association, he contended, was an extremely live body, which lost no opportunity of improving the conditions of the s&nrico. He claimed that the passing of tho Superannuation Act and its improvements was due to the association. If it had not been for the association tho proposal to reduce to £3OO the ixjnsione of these who wore original contributors would have been carried. It had been said that classification was not an tinmixed blessing, but he held that it was a blessing. 'Die thing for the association to do was to get the scheme, and then having got it s improve it. He contended that appointments were made which were repugnant to the mass of Civil servants, who considered that promotion should ba by merit. Every man present knew of examples of men being pushed on ahexfl of younger men, possessing better examination and other qualifications of every kind. The association gave the members of the Civil Service a chance of formulating their objections, and placing befoz-e the Government and the public the claims of the younger .members of the sarvice. Tho association stood for all that was good, true, and pure in the Civil Service, and he appealed to every member of it to join and make the service a stronger and better service, worthy of tht ] country to which they belonged.