Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1890.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 195, 19 August 1890, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1890.

The residents in Nelson who arc engaged iv tho public sorvico of the colony did woll at the mooting hold lust night (n report of which appoars in another columa) to ally themselves with ■ those who arc engaged in forming the " Public Sorvico Association of New Zealand." Au extract from the admirably framed

circular which has been issued by the Provisional Committee in Wellington will be found embodied in the report, and in ifc the objects- of the Association fire so clearly sot forth that it is quito unuscossary for us to dwell upon them here. They must; commend themselves to all who' read them, aud they contain neither suggestion nor sentiment to which tho slightest objection could bo Hk-'ii. The very tompurn'o remarks that wore mado by ihe Chairman Inst night in cxphiiuin*-?; the obi* cfc ot' the meeting are ais** doKerviiig of commendation, and, takm in connection with tho chcnloi", tbey t how voiy plainly thiic tho matter is luing approached by those immediately concorned in no querulous spiris, with ,10 fooling of hostility to tho Government or the Legislature, but merely vuwi a vi-jw fco securing that which is of sc.iicely higher importance to the public servants themselves than to the people of the colony — tho placing of the Public Service oi l\'ew Zealand on a better and moresatisfa'-fcory footing than that ou which it now stands. To belong to that Service should be an object of honourable ambition fco any yoang man iv the colony about fco leave his home and enter upon life on his own account. But is ifc so ? Afc fcbe meeting held in Wellington ou the 31st ultimo for the purpose of forming the Association, ono of tho speakers, who waa ablo from tho position ho occupied to speak with authority, complained of tlio manner in which the Service had recently been dragged through the mud, and said that " everyone who was nofc entitled to a pension or compensation allowance would be very glad to quit the (service if he could, and thoro were none who could conscientiously adviso their sons or friends to enter the service." There is no exaggeration in these words. They are absolutely fcruo. If then, such is tho opinion hold of tho service by those engaged in it, is it to be expected of them that thoy will throw all their hearts into their work ? Thero are two ways of going through the duties of the offioe; the one is that which will be adopted by him who takes a pleasure in it, and is desirous of doing his best for a considerate master; the other that of the man whoso sole motive is to earn his daily bread, and who is perpetually haunted by tho droad — born of a knowledge of the fate of others who had onco beon similarly situated to himself — lest afc any moment during the session of Parliament he might take up his nowspaper and from its report* ol the proceedings of the House in Committee of Supply learn that his employment, and with it his means of earning a livelihood, was gone. No sensible man claims for tho public servant immunity from the risk that ia attached to employment in private service; no ono whose opinion is entitled to any consideration would suggest that the Public Service is to be regarded as a refuge for tho destitute, or would advocate the retention of au employee when there was no work for him to do. A clerkship or an appointment of any kind under tho Government is not to be considered a permanency any moro than is similar service with a private firm or individual. If, in tho course of timo, it should prove that his services are no longer iieedefTby the Government, ho must expect to receive notice to that effect, lint what is complained of — and with justice — by those engaged in the service of the State, is that tho term and tbe conditions of their employment are too often subject to a foreign inilneuce, and are mado to depend upon considerations which should havo nothing whatever to do with the matter upon which they are brought to bear. In other words, complaint is mado that, on tho one baud, tho public servants are at times deprived of the promotion for which they should be entitled to look as a matter of right, by the unfair exercise of patronage by those who chance to bo for the time being in authority, and ou the other, that they aro subject to dismissal at the bidding of members of Parliament who are iv complete ignorance of thj requirements of the service in its bearings upon the particular ca-c under consideration. What the public servants of all ranks ask for, and what they are fairly entitled to have conceded fco them, is that their tenure of office shall not bo dependent upon the exigencies of politics. This view of the case was very fairly put by the Chairman -of the Wellington meeting. It was understood, he said, " that officers of tho public sorvico must not interfere with politics; but ifc must nofc he forgotten that by tho highest authorities and by the established practice of nearly every other British colony, and of England herself, the converse was upheld, that politics should nofc interfere with officers of the public service." What we understand the principal object of bhe proposed Association to bo is to secure a complete system of classification, and the prevention of political pressure being unfairly aud injudiciously brought to boar upon the public service of the colouy. We congratulate the leaders of the movement upon the vory reasonable way iv which thoy are setting to work to attain the end they have in view, aud, in the interests of the country quito as much as of those personally con. cerucd, we heartily wish them success, ft is neither just nor prudent that the State should attempt to drive a one-sided bargain in this matter. It looks — aud rightly looks — to be faithfully and loyally served by those ougagod in doing its work. To ignore their claims to be treated with fairness and consideration would be both foolish and unjust.