THE CIVIL SERVANTS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 245, 3 October 1911, Page 2

THE CIVIL SERVANTS.

CLASSIFIED BY ONE Oh THEM. Christchurch. Oct. 2. 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 1 lit! ere nt 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, he believed, ashamed of the service, forgetting that it was a most important factor in the life of the people. They ignored the fat.'t winch they all knew, that in the name of the civil service appointments were made which caused men to blush for the ■leople who were responsible for them. Secondly, there* wore the superior persons, who looked with disdain on the enthusiasts. These need not be considered. Thirdly there were the indifferent. " nine to five '’ men. These were the men covered with rust, and dust, who were the clogs in the wheels of the civil service. Lastly, there were the enthusiasts : the men who recognised that there were wrongs, and that there were means io remedy these wrotm's. The association he eontend|i'd. was an extremely live body. I which lost no opportunity of improving the conditions of the service. He claimed that the passing of the Superannuation Act and its imnrovement was due fo the association. If it. had not been for the association Hie proposal io reduce to .C3(i() the pensions of those who were original contributors would have been carried. It had been said that, classification was not an unmixed blessing, but he held that it was a blessing. The thing for the association was to get the scheme, and (hen .having got it improve it. He i-onieiidcd I hat appointments were made wliivh were repugnant, to the mass of the civil servants, who considered that promotions should be by merit. Every man present know of examples of men being nushed on ahead of younger men possessing better examinations and other qualifications ot every kind. The association gave Hie members of the civil service a chance of formulating lheir objections and placing before the Government and the public the claims of the younger memliers of the service. The association stood for all that was good, I true, and pure in Hie civil service, pand be appealed to even member of • it. to join and make the service a stronger and better service, worthy'of the count.rv to which they belonged. (Loud applause.)