INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Evening Star, Issue 22326, 30 April 1936, Page 2

INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

ANNUAL MEETING The second' annual meeting of the Otago branch of the Institute of Public Administration was held last night. The Dominion president, Mr J. R. Robertson, of Wellington, addressed the meeting on the aims of the institute. He stressed the opportunities that it offered for collaboration between the various Government departments and explained the activities, both intellectual and social, of the Wellington branch._ He then went on to discuss the question of the establishment of a university course leading to a diploma or degree in public administration, and pointed out the great advantages which would accjrue from the close co-operation of the institute with the university. At the same time he emphasised the grave misapprehensions of certain sections of the community with regard to the qualifications required for recruitment to the Public Service, and in referring to the high level of general attainments prevalent throughout the Service in New Zealand he suggested that Civil servants of experience were better able to handle the . difficult administrative problems which confront the Government from time to time than men specially imported for the purpose from outside business.

On the conclusion of Mr Robertson’s remarks Mr W. E. M‘Kay, the local transport; officer of the Railway Department, gave a highly interesting lecture on modern train-running operations, explaining in detail the day-to-day problems that had to be grappled with, and illustrating his remarks with specimen train-running diagrams. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr H. L. Gibson; vice-president, Mr D. A. Young; honorary vice-presidents— Messrs J. M. Adam, T. M. Ball, Dr M. Brown, C. de R. Andrews, Professor R. W. Soutar, N. C. Kensington, N. R. MTsaacs, and E. J. Raines; secretary, Mr E. J. Haughey; treasurer, Mr W. Brown; committee— Messrs Williamson, W. E. M‘Kay, H. A. Adams, E. W. Fulton, V. J. H. Pledger, and Nelson.