THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17845, 28 July 1921, Page 6

THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

A timely protest has been made by the Dominion Farmers' Conference against the enormous cost of

government in this country. In support of a general recommendation of economy, delegates who joined in the debate pointed to the overstaffing of the Public Service as a typical example of the waste of public money. They had sound authority for their criticism—no less indeed than the'Acting-Prime Minister, who told the . Public Service Association a few weeks ago that the cost of administration has become " alarming" and that there mus£ be a reductibn in the numbers employed in the Service. Up to this point there is complete agreement between the Government and those who are urging it to economise. The diagnosis is clear, but Ministers hesitate to apply any appropriate treatment. Any attempt to discover the actual condition of the Government departments is defeated be-

cause the available information is inadequate and contradictory. No official publication sets forth either in the grand aggregate or in detail the numbers of persons in the pay of the Government, but a compilation of figures from various sources shows that there are at least 9000 officers in the administrative departments, nearly 11,000 in the Post and Telegraph Department, and over 13,300 in the Railways Department. To this total of 33,000 are to be added about 7000 teachers, and about 5000 employees on public works, so that altogether about 45,000 persons derive their livelihood from the national Treasury. Not only has there been a tremendous increase in the cost of this huge staff, but even during the last two years the growth of the Public Service has continued. It is well known that the staffing of schools and of public works is insufficient, but in no other department is it possible to draw a broad discrimination. Quoting Sir Francis Bell again, retrenchment is <; obviously essential." It is time the Government decided upon a definite policy.