The New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1923. SERVICE TO THE STATE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18547, 3 November 1923, Page 10

The New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1923. SERVICE TO THE STATE.

■ -. ♦ : — ' The thought of many in the city has been turned during the week to the importance of service to the State. In the, arrangements for Boys' Week there has naturally been found opportunity for impressing on the younger generation the fact that they are the citizens of to-morrow. The desirability of knowing the history of their own country and of their , own Empire has been urged, together with the urgency of their making preparation for useful citizenship in days soon to come. Incidentally, there has been inculcated a sense of gratitude for the public service given ungrudgingly and gratuitously by many of Auckland's citizens. The Mayor has been singled out with due appropriateness for praise as a public-spirited man devoting high business ability with earnestness So the duties of civic office ; and he, with characteristic regard for the responsibilities of his position, has deprecated the personal application of that praise and deflected it upon the office he fills. Into this local laudation pf civic service there has come a deeply solemn note through the passing of Mr. Bonar Law. His Majesty the King has praised the late statesman's integrity, patriot : ism and devotion; Britain's present Prime Minister has paid heartfelt tribute to his predecessor's qualities of mind and life ; and the press of the world has uttered its unanimous eulogy. Attention has been drawn particularly to the fact that Mr. Bonar Law did not seek high office it- was accepted and undertaken as a sacred trust in a time of stress, in the full knowledge that its burden would inevitably precipitate a death presaged already' by serious ill-health. The influence of his heroic example will not be wholly Host. There is need for the, reminders of public duty that are brought by the admonitions of Boys' Week and the eulogies passed on Britain's lamented statesman. The number of people taking an intelligent and worthy part in local and general . government is strikingly few when compared with the total population. As a generalisation ! this criticism applies widely [ throughout the world; but, whati ever be the merit of the public, service rendered by some Auckland citizens, it is ,so overshadowed by the apathy and selfishness of the unillustrious majority that we cannot very well point the finger of scorn at any other place. • Auckland's population consists of about 150,000, mostly nominal citizens. For the most part, they are denizens merely, not citizens at all. They have the political and municipal franchise, but they can be stirred only with the greatest difficulty into a serious study of the national problems of the day or an active participation in the business of the city. They are often indifferent to issues put before them, either; voting . in unthinking droves or manifesting so liftle concern that they will not trouble to vote at all. A . minority is left to run public affairs. The ship of State has a perilously small crew for so great a company of passengers; no wonder it behaves dangerously when storms arise. If it be felt that this stricture is unwarrantably severe, let the total number of men and women acting in voluntary capacities on public bodies be carefully counted; ' they will be found to be a mere handful of the constituency accepting their service and grumbling at it. Let a further test be made, in no spirit of depreciation of the.work done by the willing few: are these the very best the community can produce—is the governance of the commonwealth directed by an aristocracy of brains and consciences? It will be admitted, * even by the men and women elected to public positions, that they do not exhaust the possible supply of directive talent in their communities; and in bursts of honesty they will confess that there are better men and women who cannot be prevailed upon to stand for office. Without any disparagement of the service rendered by many now prominent, it must in truth he asserted that others do not adorn the offices they hold and that evidently very varied motives have induced them to offer their service. The merit of democracy, it has been claimed, is that it gives the best Tom, Dick and Harry opportunity to get control of affairs of State, but the most ardent believer in democracy would not dare to declare that the best Tom, Dick and Harry do actually get control. Why does public office often go begging? What ails us that our citizenship so habitually falls short of the theory of it? It ought to be intelligent: it is often incompetent. It ought to be strenuous: it is often lackadaisical. We ought all to take a full share in selfgovernment: instead, a few occupy the seats of the mighty and dispense the favours of privilege. There is so much to be done that we all should lend a hand: we often content ourselves, however, with merrily captious criticism of those trying to do the necessary work. When the whole question is reviewed, it will be found, that failure to achieve the ideal of citizen-service is due to. failure to cherish that ideal. We have no adequate habitual regard for civic duty. It counts for too little— often for less than our individual money-making or pleasure. Lightly esteeming service to the State, thoso who undertake it often do no from inadequate motivpa, and i, ' ■ * *,

others- feel''no > call ; ; to it. iWe treat witii too . little respect those '! who, by our suffrages, are chosen for office. . No r remedy ■is found: in making publio positions r carry an attractive salary.; Hireling service is not the sort that any community can afford to have. Yet there must be adequate honour given to these directing citizens, in the ' spirit of Tennyson's panegyrio on the Duke of Wellington: Yea, let all good things await Him who cares not to be great, ' But as he saves or serves the State. Such honour, based on a wide and deep sense of citizenship, will be reward enough for worthy aspirants for office. Their service cannot fittingly be paid for; nor should we try to buy it. That would demean it. But respect and sympathy and moral support should not be withheld. To make office a butt for acidulous or inane comment is to deter the best men and women from accepting it. The measure of democracy's success is the ratio of its competent voluntary servants to the idle body of the electorate. Judged by that test, New Zealand has a long way to go to the goal.