Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, MONDAY, APR, 5, 1909. THE RETRENCHMENT SCHEME.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11819, 5 April 1909, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, MONDAY, APR, 5, 1909. THE RETRENCHMENT SCHEME.

"Civil i3ei*vice •Reform* lias been a headline ia political manifestoes for a good many years past. It has been an easy subject to t«Jfc abotjt, but not so easy «,' matter to administntto upon. There have 'been some who have desired to place the whole burden of reform on to a Public Service Board—^a more or less irresponsible body, which Vvbuld be slow and costly m its methods of operation. Everyone, lias se£n tlife public service of tfu's lismallI ismall country growing like the Tipaa' ti^e, but whilst' time's were prosperous andj big surpluses .^were eaisy to nianufacturo the stern necessity of^ laying aye to the tree was not sb apparent; , and. Ministers consequently put' off from time to time the somewhat irksome and unpleasant task. New Z«a^ land has, however, latterly been feeling I the pinch' of the monetary depression that has" 'prevailed; all the world- oyer| and this year— though the Eremier's cautious forecast when he made his last Financial Statement ha» been well maintaityed, the yeaVs'dp^ratipns givintf, as anticipated, a> surplus' in the neighboiihood ;.of i£isO,Ooio— the 'Governmenb have been f a*oe to face, for; the first time -for. many years, with'a falling reyenye. .^fh'aV Wing so, Sir josepl; vFardi hi)s ' not sMrjKed his plaiii'anb^bour '-ten, duty of maklAg'' some firm to keep eipGnditute 'rwithin the limits of income. He 'lias not liis responsibilities as Colonial Treasurer and head of the Government on to the shoulders of a Royal Commission, , or a Public Service Borirdl, or any other body, but -with a full sense of the labor, , and possibly the opprobrium involved he has himself under.taken the task of setting the Dominibli's administrative house m order. That he is doing so m a fearless and ffittttesmanl ike manner everyone who has read the report of the masterly speech delivered at the -Upper Hutfc on Fridayaight will agree. Retrenchment and' reorganisation — the compression of the \york of thirty-seven, bver-^rown departmerits into sixteen— -is no light order, buti the Premier's * exceptional businesslike capabilities have assisted him to evolve a. comprehensive scheme which should enable ' the result aimed at — tho reduction of our national expenditure by ii. quarter of a million pounds per «n---nuni — to b o attviined without impairing the efficiency of the public service, and with a- minimum of hardship to the Civil Servants who are ; involved m the lopping-otf process. It is unfoi'tunate m many respects that iNew Zealand should bo losing the i-crvices of many of h'ci 4 old ' and triedi public officers who have reached the ujfce limit, and no doubt the loss of tjieir accumulated knowledge and experience will for a time be kteenly felt m/ otiiuial circles, but the gi'eat&r opportunity to promotion which now exists should! stimulate men m the lo.w<m i ranjks to put m b^tter.Syork aitd should generally, add to the efficiency .of the, service. At the sume time the knowledge • that there t must! Ijo, compulfiorj' feUrement at 'sijsty-five ...'-inay have the effect' of driving Amany good men adyaijicjng m years out of "the «ervioo, or <of pausing others \vell. qualified to act to hesitate iii accepting offers of nppoiiitment that are made to, them when vacancies occur. No scheme, however., could probably bo devised without attendant drawbacks, and ay© ' believe that when- the Premier's tfe-organisation has been fully disclosed and set in -operation -it will bo generally acknowledged to be a strong, prndent, and eat-isfactoi-yy •effort to : bring about a state of things which evei-yon© recognises is necessary at the present time both for the country and the individual— -an j honest endcavoi* to live within bur j means. ■'■ f . '■'.. ■'. . ."'■ • . ■■■'•' ■■'-.. ■' . •