THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1880.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 23 June 1880, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1880.

The Civil Service Commission in their report say, that the Railway Department most urgently needed reform. The Keport discloses an unsatisfactory state of affairs. Extravagance, want of unity, confusion in organisation, ! orders disobeyed and misunderstood, two contending, sets of officers, antagonism in opinions, and the most highly paid showing the, greatest ineompeteaey, many unnecessary offi' eers, a great waste of stores, unauthorised purchrses, and favoured constructions, no efficient control , running stock exposed to wanton waste, sixteen diff.renfc- kinds of locomotives in use (involving duplications in patterns), and general gross mismanagement, the chief amongst which is the appointment of shoals of men un&Ued for their duties, or else paid extravagantly for dtfing mere clerk work The Commission found that tha South Island Commissioner was partner in a contracting firm ; that suspicion pre* vailed of loose dealing, if not unfair advantage, to this and other firms ; .that the Commissioner had protested he bad practised all possible economy, and could do no more; — but the Commission was constrained to the opinion e that this work should be entrusted to some better hands. In the Merth Island the Commissioner was found to be insufficiently informed on many important points. The Commissioners recommend putting the Eailway "Department under one permanent head— '' a good man of business, other than a professional engineer, aod to make. \ him permanent; director. The Public I "Works Department passes next in re% •" view. SuperflttUy of engineers and ' other officials is condemned, and es--1 pecially their lack of practical know-. > ledge, ia the use of colonial timber, the antagonism of the Public Works and Railway Departments is shown, — aim btigiieatloiiv — ttro — mtrdo — ft)T~ Con» solidation and reductions. In the Crown Lands, department want of definition as to responsibility makes ife impossible to fix blame of many mistakes and much wasteful expenditure. The Survey Department ia blamed for theoretical experiments at sacrifice of practical results, and useless expenditure in advance ©f the actual requirements of the colony, and the Commission recommend that nb further detailed surveys be under* taken, except to gnard public interestsagainst speculators, and applications to purchase pssfcoral lands before survey should be carefully considered and granted when equitable, and thui curtail surveys of back country to the j actual requirements of purchasers. • The Commission d^&vow any wish to ' . throw discredit on the officers of this j Department who have worked under 1 disadvantages arising from Outside 8 pressure and complicated land laws. OustotDß— Knquiries in this Depart* ment are admitted to bo superficial, but information obtained shows that } many espena ; .ve officers are unprO' |j fUably employed. The Commission recommend their inorganization as collectors of taxes and other duties Post and Telegraph— The union of the ? Departments m recommended, also recognition of the services of skillful ? operators. Printing Department— A " great amount of useless work. Justice —Many unfit; appointments have been ' madfl to Keaidenfc Magistrateships and , Clerkships, Too many police.