THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13171, 3 September 1913, Page 2

THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

IS THE COMMISSION SYSTEM GOOD :

(From our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Upon the presentation yesterday afternoon by -'the Prime Minister, of the first report of the Pxiblic Service Commissioner, Mr. Hanan asked if the House would be given an opportunity of discussing it.

The Prime Minister assured the member that an opportunity would be given to the House on some afternoon, say m about a month's time.

Sir oseph Ward asked if the report represented the unanimous opinion of the whole commission on the question of classification and other matters, and if not were the dissentient opinions included m the report.

The Prime Minister replied that so far as 'he could see there was little or nothing to do with classification m the report. That subject was dealt with m another, paper. The report before the House came from the Public Service Commissioner (Mr. Robertson), who was responsible for himself and also for his colleagues.

Sir Joseph Ward remarked that one man might put on record his own views regarding the whole oi the public service;, and yet he might not be m accord with the other members of the Commission; The value of the. report, he added, would be very much greater to the country if it was known to be the opinion of the whole three. The House, he thought, should be acquainted whether there were any recommendations from the assistant Commissioner that did notagree with the chief Commissioner.

AN AWKWARD PHASE. The Prime Minister replied that there was nothing to show whether the report contained the • opinions of the chief Commissioner or of a majority. He had' the ;best- of reasons for believing that there was ho difference of opinion m regard to any important matter. - Mr. Ell raised the case of an old public servant who, upon the advent of the Commissioner was dismissed because hecould not produce a fourth standard certificate. The Prime Minister : Send' me the name and I will make inquiries. Mr. Ell replied that he could not write to the Prime Minister without rendering himself liable to a £50 fine. It was a .pretty position Parliament had got into. The 'man whose case^ he wished taken up was maimed while working for the State, and wanted to be again employed. Whiles, only Workers could be engaged casually if they - had a third standard certificate, the Public Service Commissioner insisted on a fourth standard certificate before -giving even casual work.

Mr Anderson declared that members were becoming -free from the troubles of men seeking positions, but if every case was brought before tne House the position of the Commissioner would be undermined. ..•'..-

The best man to represent a constituent's grievance was the local member said Mr Colvin, who added that Ministers ought to be responsible for their departments.

Mr Glover announced, amid laughter, that he had made requests \o the Commissioner one afternoon, making himself liable to a fine of £170. He would like to see the fine inflicted. His incarceration would be the rock to upset the whole system.

Mr. Witty suggested that the Prime Minister had promised to use influence with the Commissioner m the case referred to by Mr Ell. If it was right for Mr Massey it was- right for any private member.

SEETHING DISCONTENT. { Sir :Joseph Ward said that since lie had returned from, abroad he had been able to see that seething discontent with the new system existed among .civil servants. At the present time the position was that one section of the service was controlled under one system and another section, the railway servants, under an entirely different system: When the railway commissioner system existed, dissatisfaction . permeated not only the railway employees, but ! . also among the farmers and commercial -pebplfe. He' believed political influehdtf could be removed entirely under 'a system of public service administration which, was directly responsible toxParliament. As matters stood arqHalies would begin straight-out. Thff hon. member expressed the opinion that, generally speaking, New Zealand had a veTy fine public service, and he did not be- i lieve it was a fair thing that, apart from the railway servants, the employees shauld not even have the right of ajm% proaching a Minister without incurring the liability of a £50 fine. The. absurdity of the system was that all the heads of departments had to have their salaries brought down separately, their salaries being dealt with by Parliament direct. He contended the old system should have been continued, with provisions to prevent the use of political influence. ....... Several Opposition members demanded to know if the Government, apart from the Minister responsible for the Act, was generally and universally satisfied with' the new system. They also asked wherein' t}ie\boasted saving that was to be effected could be shown.

Mr : Mac Donald expressed the opinion that the whole position tended to a huge increased expenditure. ' WOULD NEVER GO BACK. The Prime Minister, m reply, declared that whatever happened the Government had no intention to remove the Act from the statute book. The country would never ,go back to the system of political influence and political graft that existed m the country before July of last year. (Ironical Opposition laughter.) It had been asked why the r amy ays, police and teachers were not under the Act. Who, he asked, would Suggest that teachers should sacrifice their independence? If anyone advocat- 1 ed^ that before the selectors he would! neyer see the inside of Parliament. As j to the police, m no country m the world were the police under, any head but the Crown. But the Railways Department was ih a different position.: As- to the talk about fines, had anyone been fined? Had any attempt been made to exert political ■ influence • Since the Act came 'into force- He had not heard of any. \ He ' himself had had opportunity of recommending men who haa. been unable to perform other work to suitable employment, but that was not- political influence.

A member : What was it ? Mr Massey went on to say that a good deal of nonsense had been talked. What was there undemocratic m the present position, as some members had contended ? He pointed out that the Commonwealth Labor Government had made . no attempt to remove the Public Service Commissioners.' Considering the importance of the interests involved, it was a wonder that there had been so little friction, though the Opposition doubtless -thought there would be a public service revolution over classification. As for economies under the new system, it was shown that these totalled £47,000 per annum. j