Taranaki Herald. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1908. SERVING THE STATE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13749, 11 September 1908, Page 4

Taranaki Herald. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1908. SERVING THE ST ATE.

A question of some\ public interest and importance has been raised by Mr. G. 4V.- S Russell, chairman of the Canterbury College Board of Governors. It appdars that Parliament, on :the motion of the Minister o&Eduqation, excised from the Canterbury College Bill a clause authorising an honorarium of not exceeding £200 per annum to the chairman of the Board of Governors. In a letter to, a Christchurch paper Mri Russell states thsit^he has beenjfehair r man for about.* eighteen months, and by rerifg&lrising the Office staff -b^s effected ta,rgj6^dbii«nnf k in the cost pf administration, besides placing the finances of the institution on a more satisfactory footing. The Board, he points :out, controls an annual expenditure of upwards of £40,000 for various institutions, employing no less than ninety-five officers and administering a huge landed estate, let to 127 different tenants. He himself attended fifty-five official meetings of the Board and committees, while if 'sub-commitr tee meetings, functions, and personal attendances at the; office were counted the number would be increased to at least 250, besides visits to Wellington, Timaru, and elsewhere. Under these circumstances he considers that be' is just as much entitled to payment for his services as the .Minister of Education and others who serve the public in various capacities. ' To a certain extent' he has oujT sympathy, though we think it will be a sorry day for -Nlew~Zedkmd~"w}ieirN l ew~Zedkmd~"w}ieir the principle of tpayment for public services of this nature is adopted. An'immense amount of work is done gratuitously by members (especially the chairman) of public bodies throughout !N|ew Zealand. The public are possibly inclined to be too exacting and to ask too much of those who >;\are willing to undertake the w<s#v. It may be also that sometimes they ac-

cept the services* quite as a mattfir. of course and without adequate appreciatipn of the sacrifices involved. In Mr. Russell's case it does appear that he has arduous duties to perform^tliougli we caa-

not help thinking" that he does a great deal more than his position really demands. The business ought to be done «by the staff, controlled by the chief officials, who should be, if 1 they are not, paid salaries cojnmensurate with threir work and responsibilities. The fact that economies have been effected and greater efficiency Secured under Mr. Russell's chair-

mausliip is beside the .question, though, of course it increases t^ie public indebtediiess to him. T|ie questioi). is,. however, whether pe;rso»s who fill positions of this kind should or should not receive pajpnient-. The best governed countries are those where gratuitous service is given to the State in [the governing capacities, and tike introduction of. the principle of payment for these services woujd probably lead to objectionable fejature^ and practices. Even the labourer,. it may, be said, is worthy of his hire, but in British communities it is, recognised th^t every subject owes k duty to tike State arid should discharge thit duty according to his pbsition arid ability, Fortunately there are never, or extremely rarely, wanting those who are willing, from tlie highest motives, to give such service as they are able to the Staxe 'arid the" community, and to ado^t fclke principle of payment wouljd •lend to stifle the patriotic motives which now impel, men to offejr their services in the public interests. l Mr. Russell writes of Ministers, members of Parliament, Bishops, and others bein* paid. The first and the last havie to devote practically the whole^df their time to their calling, while the honorarium a member of Parliament receives usually barely covers the out\pf -pocket expenses attending his position. Mr. Eussell also refers to the fact that a former chairman of the Board of "€k>vernots had a private secretary provided for him at a salary oi £156 a year. ' He was wiser in his generation than Mr. Russell, who should get similar, assistance. No' doubt the Board would readily grant w, for it is not right that anyone holding such a position a^.htis should be expected to do a. clerk's work for nothing, when the Board is able to afford the ".'necessary stafi*. There is just - one other , view of the question that suggests itself. Very often the services rendered by a chairman of a public body are of such a nature that, the, body could not afiord to pay value for them, and ii would be cheapening, the offipe io pay a nominal salary for special services.