GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 17 October 1913, Page 6

GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS

MERIT BEFORE POLITICAL COLOUR.

PREMXER-EMPHATIC.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, This Day.

There is a strong feeling abroad that ■Ae principle of spoils to the victors ;s being introduced in connection with the appointments and removals from various public bodies, remarked Sir Joseph Ward in the House yesterday afternoon. Taking up the running Mr Nosworthy remarked that there are a great many men now occupying public positions who would be better opt of office. He -was, he said, quite satisfied that he was voiciitg the opinion of the great majority of the people of New Zealand. An. Opposition member: You are not. Sir Joseph Ward: lam as capable of voicing the opinion of the people a* the hen. member for Astfburt«K.

The discussion, brief as it -was, arose oat" of* a recent appointment of the Government to the Oamaru Land Beard, and the Prime Minister hastened to make his position clear. Since he had been head of the Land? Department, eighteen va-: cacicies had occurred, on© by death and two under the provision of the Uan-i Agents Act. That left 15 vacancies. He had been charged with carrying out a policy of spoils to the "victors. Out of the 15 he reappointed nine. Did that, he asked, look like spoils to the victors? His friends said that he was far too generous to his opponents. (Laughter from the Opposition)., There had been two reappointments at Invercargill, two in Canterbury, two at Auckland, and one each at Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Nelson, and South Canterbury. He had followed the principle of appointing men to whom, his policy was acceptable, and that was the policy he would continue to follow. He wanted members to understand that where a member ef a Land Board was in favour of the leasehold princip'e, if he got an opportunity, that man would not be reappointed. "Because," he added "I cannot trust him to pronerlv fldmini<*ter a freehold r»olicy." "Aa far as the polipy of apoils to th« victors is concerned," he added "we have not followed it. We have cut ourselves adrift from all the political influence that has been exerefsed in past vears. Hon. members know prefectly well that as far as the Public Service is concerned, political influence has pone. We have reappointed more than half the members of Land Boards appointed by previous CTovernments, and we have adhered to the principle that merit should bfa recognised rather than political colour."