FIGHT FOR REFORM.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3275, 21 July 1911, Page 7

FIGHT FOR REFORM.

. SPEECH BY MR HERDMAN. f ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING AT OAMARU. AN EMPHATIC RESOLUTION. When Mr. A. L. Herdman, M.P., arrived in Oamaru he Avas entertained by a number of citizens, the Mayor welcoming the member as an old boy of Oamaru. There was a large and enthusiastic audience to hear his address in the Opera House in the evening. Mr. Herdman was accorded a patient hearing, and at the close of his address the following resolution was carried unanimously, amidst applause: That the residents of North Otago, in public meeting assembled, express the opinion that the time has arrived when, in the interests of aviso legislation and sound administration, prompt steps should be taken by the people of the Dominion to remove the present Government from office. When the vote of thanks to _ Mr. Herdman was proposed the audience rose and sang “For He s a Jolly Good Fellow.” Mr. Herdman expressed himself as delighted Avith his reception. REFORM PARTY’S PROPOSALS. MR HERDMAN AT PALMERSTON SOUTH. In the course of his speech before an audience which filled the Town Hali at Palmerston South, Mr- A. L. Herdman, member for Wellington North, discussed amongst other things the portion of the Reform party’s platfoim relating to the public service. He S£l The Acting-Prime Minister, in the course of his address in Otago, made a statement to which he (Mr Herdman) took exception. Sir James Carroll was a man of great ability, and possessed considerable. oratorical gifts, and he (Mr. Herdman) knew of no member of the present Administration Avho could sing the praises of the Government so ably as the silver-tongued Native Minister. There was nobody Avho could carol so siveetly as Sir J ames Carroll. (Laughter.) The Acting-Prime Minister, hoAvever, in referring to the public service proposals in Mi. Massey’s programme, said that any public service board appointed under the Opposition’s proposals would not be responsible to Parliament. _ Why, the whole point in the Opposition s scheme was that the public service board should be responsible to Parliament, and not to a Minister of the Croivn. That Avas the essence of the proposal of the Opposition. He had taken a keen interest in this matter, and he wished to make it clear that the Opposition proposal involved the creation _ of a board or a commissioner with six assistants, Avho Avould take complete control of the service, Avho Avould make appointments, regulate all promotions, fix salaries, and generally manage the Avhole conditions of the service. What they aimed at Avas that the patronage exercised in the past by Ministers _ to the detriment of the service and civil servants shall be absolutely destroyed and stamped out. 'Applause.). He must not be understood to refer in any manner derogatory to the personnel of the public service in general, but he did desire to say that, through the Avretehed system of patronage that obtained at present, promotion Avas not conducted on a just basis, Avith the result that men who should get on by the exertion of their OAA'n talents and ability found themselves in the position of being passed over to give place' to someone else “more favored of the King.” (Applause.) He advocated civil service reform for the folloAving reasons : —(1) The people, as . of right, are entitled to the best public service humanly possible. (2) The public servants are entitled to better masters and more scrupulous masters than our Ministers of the Crown. (3) The able and conscientious civil servants— and there are thousands of them—is entitled to just treatment, and he does not get it from Ministers of the CroAAm. (4) The time-server, the sycophant, the public servants Avho owes to influence his billet and looks to influence for promotion, the obsequious flatterer of the all-poAverful Minister, the incompetent protege of an incompetent patron, is the creature Avho should be culled from the public service. (5) Political influence or patronage should be destroyed, and in making promotions more regard should be paid to merit. He proposed that one of tAvo things should be done: either that a board consisting of tAvo or three individuals, not members of the civil service, should be appointed to take over the control of the public service; or, in the alternative, as had been adopted in the CommonAvealth of Australia Avhen Federation took place, a commissioner, Avith a certain number of inspectors, should be appointed. The board or the commissioner and his assistants Avould rule and govern the Avhole concern. Then, also, the commissioner -and his inspectors Avere responsible to Parliament. That Avas the case in the CommonAvealth, and it Avas AA’hat they advocated in connection Avith a civil service board for NeAV Zealand. In Australia—and it AA-as Avhat they desired here—the Governor-General could suspend the commissioner, but that act, before coming final, had to be ratified by Parliament. The Civil Service Board, therefore, as they Avould see, Avas subject to the control of Parliament in the truest and highest meaning of the term. The system he advocated Avas in vogue not only in the CommonAvealth Administration, but also in the States of Queensland. NeAV South Wales and Victoria, and had received the full approval of Sir Charles Lucas, of the Colonial office, AA r ho, after his recent visit to Australia and NeAV Zealand, reported that there was nothing more admirable in Australia than the effort to keep the public service outside the scope of political influence. (Applause.) IN CONCLUSION. In coming to a conclusion, Mr. Herdman said that the aim of the people of NeAV Zealand and ■ of any country should be to have a Government in poAver Avhich Avould give the Avisest legislation humanly possible' and the best administration humanly possible. A Voice: Truth and honesty. Mr. Herdman: That is a synonym, of course. (Applause.) They must have that, but in addition they must have a Government in power' which had courage and AVas prepared to go before the people and say: “Here. is our plan; it is the best Ave can devise. We believe it to be Avise, and we are going to stick to it.” (Applause.) They

did not want a Government to back and turn and shilly-shally and hum and haw and have no mind of its own. The present Government in New Zealand gave the people no policy at all. (Loud applause.) On the motion of Mr. J. Crisp, seconded by Councillor D. M. Philip (Waihemo County Council), a vote of thanks to Mr. Herdman for his address was carried by acclamation. A vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding, carried on the motion of Mr Herdman, brought the meeting to a close.