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2

or a systematic revision, to ensure throughout the Public Service a proper and consistent relativity between positions. It also affords an opportunity for a periodic review in a comprehensive manner of the activities of the various Departments and the duties of individual officers. Independently of the quinquennial regradings, a continuous process of classification follows by reason of reorganizations of Departments and changes from time to time in the scope and nature of duties of officers. Also, whenever vacancies arise as the result of retirements or otherwise, all possible avenues of reorganization with a view to curtailment of departmental expenditure are explored. In some cases, as a result of the elimination of a classified position, greater responsibility devolves upon another officer, justifying a regrading of his position. In other cases a partition of duties may be followed by the creation of lower-graded positions. In consequence of these inter-quin-quennium adjustments, and also the fact that the system of classification has been in vogue for nearly two decades, the number of appeals has diminished at each successive regrading. The comparative figures since the first classification of the Public Service in 1913 are as follow : — 1913 .. .. 1,457 1924 .. .. 863 1919 . . . . 996 1929 .. . . 503 Summary of Appeals dealt with, Ist April, 1929, to 31st March, 1930. Classification .. .. . . 2 Non-appointment . . . . 93 Dismissal .. . . . . 4 Reduction in status .. . . .... Total .. . . .. 99

Decisions recorded.

Efficiency of the Service. The efficiency of the Service has been maintained at a high standard throughout the year. The essentials of efficient management in any phase of executive activity, be it State or private enterprise, are proper organization, economical working, and a reasonable devolution of responsibility. In these respects it can confidently be claimed that the Public Service compares favourably with outside concerns. Sir Henry Bunbury, K.C.8., recently made the following observation in regard to the English Civil Service : — " When one considers administrative processes in the light of the principles of the rationalization movement, the first thing that strikes the attention is the quite remarkable extent to which these principles are applied, and have in some cases long been applied, in the Public Service. The Civil Service is, I believe, at any rate in its more progressive Departments, a good way in advance of the generality of business concerns." There seems to be a growing approximation in the principles and practice of personnel management, planning, and general organization of large-scale public and private concerns respectively. It is sometimes suggested that the non-competitive and more or less sheltered nature of the Public Service tends to dull the edge of enterprise, and does not provide the incentives that underlie the hope of profit, as in private business. There are State trading Departments where the urge of service for profit is just as potent as with private enterprise, and in non-trading Departments there is a tradition of disinterested and efficient service which not

-—— Classification. Non-appointment. Dismissal. Total. Allowed .... 1 2 .. 3 Not allowed .... .. 59 4 63 Allowed by consent Does not lie .... 1 9 .. 10 Withdrawn .... .. 23 .. 23 2 93 4 99