The Daily Times. THE OLDEST MANAWATU JOURNAL ESTABLISHED 1875. MONDAY, DEC. 15, 1884.

Manawatu Times, Volume X, Issue 1373, 15 December 1884, Page 2

The Daily Times. THE OLDEST MANAWATU JOURNAL ESTABLISHED 1875. MONDAY, DEC. 15, 1884.

TH«prei3ent Government has displayed a laudable desire to grapple with the question of reforming the Civil . Service. That t ef orm is urgently needed has been acknowledged for many years past, but no Government has been bold enough | to set to work to remove the abuses which have existed. Altogether it I has been a kind of refuge for the destitute and brainless, and men who would' have failed to discbarge the duties «f any walk m life demanding ! the exercise of common sense have been ' ipitfchforked m to highly*, salaried positions simply because they hai friends at court. In course Of time the servants have really be come the rulers, and there-i s ~no [doubt i^hja service, has shown a ten-, dency to become a power iv the land. Eadical reform was out of the question during the Atkinson reign, ihei members of that party de- . riving their chief support from those who were m the Service or had relatives^ there. 'We do not allude m this connection to those branches of the Service such as the postal and telegraphic,, the police, or the survey, because m these labor has to be done, and the pay is small as compared with .that :"'of offices m other branches Which are virtually sinecures, and which could be abolished at a day's notice without injury to the colony. Eor.a small population the country certainly supports an enormous staff of non- producers, and we trust the day is not far distant when very considerable reductions will be made. Already some work m this direction has been accomplished, but more has to be done than any Government will dare. to attempt at once. The civii servants themselves have j we observe, already shown their disapprobation ".'pf'". isundry changes which have been effected, such, as the exs tension of hours and the prohibition against being engaged m the working of companies, &c. .We must confess that we could never discern any ju^reason why a civil servant should not work at least as many hours per day as an ordinary busiv ness man, or why the colony should pay high salaries to those who could kill time for a third of the day m indulgiug m Various shorts. Id could hot be' because of ariy mental strain involved m the occupation, and there was certainly no physical strain. The Eervice had m fact made rules- for itself, which have been sanctified by and hence the wnil that has arisen since ,the:cherished habit of going to office at, 10 a.m. and leaving at 4 has been As to the question of allowing civil servants to engage m trade, there are many reasons why 'it is desirable they should not dp so, one of the chief of which is that och casioh'ally their position enables them to acquire information which could be used with crushing effect against, one ■ outside . the charmed circle. They are prohibited from taking any ; part m politics other than recording: their votes, and this, too, is a wise provision, though it is frequently disregarded. It should, hows ever, go a step further, and ren« der a civil servant incapable of voting at the election of members of the House, especially if he only claims under the residential clause. An instance came under our oyrn observation where a block vpte of 'some forty civil servants turned an election against a candidate who m his addresses . somewhat strongly urged the necesity of reform,and we haTe no doubt many other cases could be adduced. Reform of th 6 service will, hower, prove not only a benefit to the public but to the service itself, if carried out properly. To be effective it must be so arranged that merit and ability will be rewarded, and it muse be placed out of the pb^er of any Ministry to confer promotion as a favor. When this end is accomplished we may hone to find our service thoroughly efficient and work with economy. It will then attract men of ability who will have the assurance of reward for merit, which does not now exist.