THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19798, 19 November 1927, Page 13

THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

BILL PASSED BY HOUSE. PROMOTION BY EFFICIENCY. | POWERS OF' COMMISSIONER. [Br TELEGRAPH.-— SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Friday. Tho Public Service Amendment Bill, which was passed by the House to-day, is part of a scheme designed to secure uniformity of the administration of tho departments subject to the control of the Public Service Commissioner, the Post and Telegraph Department and the Railways Department. The bill gives the Governor-General-in-Gouncil, on the recommendation of the commissioner, power to revoke orders which have been made excluding individual officers from the sphere of jurisdiction of the commissioner Officers who are not now under tho control of the commissioner are to be made eligible to hold positions under him. The present restrictions on approaching the commissioner in respect to stafi matters by tho persons concerned or others are partially lifted by the bill, which says the prohibition from giving information or advice or making representations in respect of appointments, promotions or salary, is not to apply if it it is done at tho request of the commissioner. The decision of the commissioner with regard to tho grading of officers is to bo final. Tho bill gives the commissioner power to appoint persons from outside the service to special positions, if in his opinion there is no qualified officer available from the ranks of the service to fill the appointments. Ho may also transfer an officer from ono department to another. When there are two or more applicants for any position preference is to be given to the most efficient. Seniority is to count only when the officers are equal in efficiency. The interests of officers who may be superseded by the transfer of offieers from another department are safeguarded by a provision which says that transfers will not be confirmed until all appeals are settled or the time for lodging appeals has expired. An important section in the bill is do signed to increase the efficiency and main tain the prestige of the service. It speci ties a number of offences, ranging from indolence and insubordination to disgraceful and improper conduct, and .gives the permanent heads of departments authority to caution or reprimand the offenders or impose fines up to £2. The penalties are to be subject to the confirmation of the commissioner, whose decision in the matter is to be final. The more serious offences under this heading are to be the subject of written complaints and investigation by the commissioner, who, if the offence is proved, may impose caution or reprimand, reduce the annual leave of the offender, fine him, reduce his grading, transfer him, or*'dismiss or compel him to tender his resignation from the service. The constitution and procedure of the Appeal Board and the right of appeal are set out in detail. The bill provides that the Appeal Board shall comprise four members, two to be appointed by the Governor-General and two to bo elected by the officers of the service. One of the members appointed by the GovernorGeneral is to be from the service, while only cm of the elected members is to act at a timo The elected members are to hold office for tho remainder of the term for which they were elected, and a ballot for new . appointments is to be held not later than tho second week in May of next year, and thereafter during May in every third year. The elected members mnst belong to different departments, and provision is made in the bill to meet the case of the ballot being in j favour of two candidates from the same department. The members of the board are not to adjudicate on any appeal concerning themselves, or any officer from their department. DISCUSSION ON BILL. METHOD OF APPOINTMENT. POLITICAL INFLUENCE ASPECT. [BY telegraph.—press association.] WELLINGTON, Friday In moving the second reading of the Public Service Amendment Bill in tho House to-day, the Prime Minister, Mr. Coates, said that morning the Public Service Association had met Pubho Service Commissioner and had discussed the bill. It seemed as if several verbal amendments would meet what the association desired, and those alterations wero being prepared. The bill wa£ read a second time and the House then went into committee on tho measure. . . On clause 4, giving tho commissioner the right to consult those outside the service about appointments within tho service, the Leader ot the Opposition, Mi. H. E. Holland, asked where was the need for such provision, as it seemed to him it was getting behind a previous provision which was passed to eliminate political influence. _ r The Leader of tho National Party, Mr. G. W. Forbes, said tho time was when it was freely urged against Ministers that they were making appointments on tho basis of political pull. That was a greatly exaggerated charge, but there it was, and now they were asked to go and break down tho provision that was passed to stop that sort of thing. Ho did not like the look of it. The Prime Minister said it might often be to the advantage of an applicant that the commissioner should be able to get outside information regarding him. It was not introducing the open door to political influence. The clause was passed, and the bill was reported without amendment. On the third reading the Prime Minister said it was wrong to suggest the country was overrun with civil servants. So long as New Zealand had State-owned railways the number of civil servants must always appear large, but the service was not overloaded. He agreed that a certain process of combing out should always be going on, but the normal number of Government employees was not over large. The bill was read a third timo and passed. ___