TRAINED PUBLIC SERVANTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19960, 31 May 1928, Page 14

TRAINED PUBLIC SERVANTS.

Sir,—l read with interest your editorial under tho above heading in Tuesday's Herald, dealing with certain questions arising out of Sir Charles Fer gussoa's address to the Rotary Club, and the remarks ol Mr. Downie Stewart on a recent occasion. There is, however, one aspect ol: the question upon which I should like to comment. The Minister of Finance made an appeal to men of education to devote themselves to public service, and bemoaned the neglect of opportunity by those with capacity. Yet it is but a few we«ks ago that the members of the Reform Party caucus in the Waikato electorate refused to endorse the candidature of a man with those very qualifications of which the Minister of Finance speaks. The candidate in f question, Mr. S. N. Ziman, is unknown to me personally, but is known to every Grammar School boy as Auckland's first. Rhodes Scholar, who, after attending Oxford University, entered the Indian Civil Service, and occupied for many years one of the highest administrative posts in the. Indian Government. He has now returned to New Zealand, and on his first attempt to enter public life for the prrpose of giving to this country the benefit of his specialised training, experience, and high administrative capacity, is rebuffed bv the Reform Party. Only a short time ago, someone deplored the fact that so few Rhodes scholars returned to New Zealand, and that so many sought positions in other countries. In view of the treatment mated out to Mr. Ziman by the Reform Party, can it he wondered at that so many men with undoubted administrative ability decline to offer themselves as candidates for any public office. As a result, the trial-and-error method cf government, which has proved so costly to the people of this country in the last three years, still subsists/ and the destinies of the Dominion are controlled by men who, however well-intentioned, are lacking in many of the essential qualities of statesmanship. Furthermore, until a little recognition and assistance is afforded by the Government to men of ability who are willing to enter public office, we may expect a continuance of the state of things which the Minister of Finance so earnestly deplores. Since writing the above I have observed the report in Wednesday's Herald to the effect that Mr. D. S. Reid, M.P., the official Reform candidate, and Mr. S. N. Ziman, the Independent Reform candidate, have' agreed to abide by the decision of a ballot among the Reform supporters in the electorate, the object of such a ballot being to ensure that the Reform Party will have only one candidate for the seat at the general election. It is to be noted, however, that this action has been taken by the Reform Party organiser only after Mr. Ziman was rejected as the official candidate, and subsequently announced himself as an Independent Reform candidate. Withcut in any way detracting from the merits of Mr. Reid. it Is submitted that 1)9 cannot possibly have the oualification:; of Mr. Ziman. Hence it is idle for the Minister of Finance to bemoan the neglect of opportunity by those with canacitv when his partv rejects ihe offer of such men as Mr. Ziman. OtyADPATE.