The Daily News THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1935. THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1935, Page 4

The Daily News

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1935. THE CIVIL SERVICE.

OFFICES: NEW PLYMOUrfi. Curri* Strsefc BTRATFORD, Broadway. HAWERA. Hlsh Strost,

Through one cause and another the condition of the Civil Service in the Dominion is very much before the public at present. There is the vexed question of the restoration of wages cuts, the appointment of a new Public Service Commissioner, the concern in regard to superannuation funds and the urge for regrading of the Service generally. The latest factor in keeping public servants in the limelight is the annual report of the Public Service Commissioner, recently presented to Parliament. The report contains few suggestions for any great changes in policy, and this is not surprising, seeing that the office of Public Service Commissioner is still vacant. The report is signed by Mr. A. D. Thomson, a former assistant-commissioner, who has been acting-head of the Commissioner’s office for the past few months, and by the acting-assist-ant-commissioner Mr. T. Park. Nor does the report appear to indicate any good reason why an appointment to the commissionerhip should not have been made, unless it is proposed to put the reorganised superannuation scheme under the Commissioner’s control. It is satisfactory to learn that control of the Civil Service has proceeded without difficulty and that public opinion as well as that of civil servants is firmly in favour of such control rather than the oldtime political rule and favouritism. Mr. Thomson and his colleague refer to the complaints that the civil service is overmanned, and that an “army of public servants” is being created. They claim that they have carried out their duties, an important one of which is to see that there is no overstaffing for the duties required of civil servants and that the best distribution of the man power available is made. The scope of the duties required is, they point out, not for the Public Service Commissioner to decide. That is a matter for Parliament, as interpreter of the will of the people, and so long as the public continues to increase demands for State service and supervision, so long is the number of public servants certain to increase. There is considerable truth in this argument, but there still remains the ques-

tion whether the present system of recruitment for the service is the best, and whether service organisation could not be improved. In regard to the principle of open competition for entrance to the clerical ranks of the service there is no complaint. It may exclude candidates that would make excellent civil servants, but who are constitutionally unable to pass examinations. But on the whole, in Great Britain as well as in the Dominion, the system has worked well and provided good officials for ordinary administrative positions. It is pleasing to note, moreover, that promotion is obtainable by merit as well as by seniority, and that those desirous of obtaining it are urged to improve their qualifications by taking up the study of professional work such as law, engineering and accountancy. But a question requiring answer is whether, for the higher professional and administrative posts, the method of selection is wisest. In Britain the service is divided into two grades, and the entrance age for the higher grade, in which are included all the higher administrative posts, is considerably higher than in the lower. The entrance examination is also considerably stiffer and includes at least two foreign languages. The salaries attached to the higher posts are sufficient to attract brilliant young men from the universities, and the record achieved by the civil service of Great Britain is the highest in the world. While there is neither the scope nor the need for such strict division of the civil service in the Dominion, there is something to be said in favour of reserving certain positions for competition between (say) university graduates and others who are prepared to undergo the test of the higher examination. This would entail a higher entrance age with the probability of the candidates knowing more of men and affairs than the boy or girl who proceeds from school to a minor position in the public service. During his or her most formative years the principles of administration —which seem so strange to the commercial and industrial community—are the chief influence in moulding outlook and conduct. In process of time when more . important duties must be undertaken the effect of this narrow training, while it may make for clerical efficiency, does not always enable administrative heads to become good organisers, to see that “red tape” is a servant and not a tyrant, to make the best of the staff at their disposal, and thus render good service to the public at the smallest cost. As things are there is much truth in the statement that the civil service does not attract brilliant students from the universities, except, perhaps, for a few professional positions. That could be altered by making the positions more attractive, but only if the higher salaries are to be justified by better service. Every commercial house of standing knows that one ihan may be cheap at double the salary paid to another in a similar position, and the same can apply in public as in private employment. Civil servants themselves see the need for some steps in this direction. Hence the persistent demand for regrading of positions and other suggestions for improved conditions. 'To suggest a change in the system is not to cast reflections upon the civil servants now in office. On the whole they give honest, efficient service to the public, and some of them, particularly in the lower ranks, are certainly not overpaid for the duties they perform.