IMPORTED OFFICIALS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8642, 29 January 1914, Page 4

IMPORTED OFFICIALS

While the New Zealand Tory Government has just imported a railway manager from England at considerable cast to the taxpayers, the New South Wales Labour Government is just relinquishing the services of an imported gentleman who has been serving that State in a similar capacity. The New South ’Wales Government does not intend to follow the policy of importing officials. Mr Carmichael, the Minister for Education, made this plain in a recent speech. It is intended, however, to send Australians abroad to gain wider knowledge and experience. The Minister said that although the great distance of Australia from the world’s centres of culture, science, industry, and art had been considerably shortened by the improved methods of transit, there was still a great danger of Australia remaining in the back-wash of civilisation unless the men who led the destinies of the country kept themselves abreast of what was being done in Europe arid America. It had been a mistaken policy in the past to depend so largely upon imported men. However good these men may have been in their particular sphere, there was first of all the tremendous disadvantage of want of knowledge of Australian conditions and Australian aspirations. All their preconceived ideas had to be readjusted, and in one or two cases whero the men concerned proved unadaptable, or conservatively obstinate, the result had been friction which militated to a very large extent against the efficiency of the service. “I do not wish you to associate my remarks,’ said the Minister, “with a very prominent official who is about to leave the State, for I am speaking in the broadest sense.” Even in the Education Department, before the advent of the present Government, it was thought necessary to import men from abroad. He was strongly of the opinion that it was better for the interests of the nation, better in the interests of patriotism, discipline, and efficiency, to select their brainiest men—-men who were in accord with Australian sentiment, and who had an intimate knowledge of Australian conditions—and send these men abroad in order that they might return as well equipped as the imported cream of the world’s intellect. “ Australians have shown that they can hold their own wherever they go,” said Mr Carmichael. “ I might quote a long list of Australians eminent in the fields of science, art, literature, and industry-, who have gone into the vortex of international competition, and more than held their own. Why should these gifted Australians be compelled to leav'e-home, while positions of place and power are given to imported men?” Wo should like to commend these observations to the good sense of New Zealanders. There seems, in 1 our view, to be far more sense in Bending our own promising men away to learn than in bringing strangers here to learn,-for that is undoubtedly what the importation of officials means to a very great extent. Moreover, the importation policy is distinctly unfair to men who have risen by perseverance, merit, and study in the public services of the country. To, deny to them the highest positions in the service^—positions for which they are well qualified—is a course of action that will be found exceedingly difficult to defend.