Too Many Holidays;

Not Enough Land

Laymen Examine the Public Service of P-NG

mHERE are 12 unofficial members

J. in the Legislative Council of

Papua and New Guinea; and there are 16 official members. The

unofficial members, as spokesmen

for the non-government section of the community, are more than

ordinarily interested in the activ

ities of the Public Service. The

official members generally consider

it their duty to defend the PS as a whole. In discussions between the two factions we learn that: • According to Mr. B. E. Fairfax-Ross the percentage of the Public Service on furlough at any given time Is 23.16 per cent, as against 8 per cent, in the com mercial field. He suggests that this is excessive and that it is a legacy from the days when tropical service was more ex hausting and tropical diseases took greater toll. Under to-day’s conditions present leave provisions are no longer necessary —and he asks whether the country can continue to afford the cost of such extended periods of furlough.

Probably by way of a small beginning, he proposed that the Tuesday after Easter should be eliminated as a PS holiday (Easter Tuesday was eliminated as a general public holiday by the Legislative Council last May). • Evidently the higher elements of the PS feel that the country can still afford them Mr. Fairfax-Ross’ proposal was outvoted. The Government Secretary said that, since the early days, there had been a reduction in PS recreation and long service leave. • Mr, Don Barrett is of the opinion that the powers conferred on the Public Service Commissioner are greater than those held by the Administrator and heads of various departments and would like to see some curtailment in the very sweeping powers held by the Com missioner. • The whole matter of Public Servants holding land (other than land on which to build a home) is under consideration by the Administration. Under current regulations no Public Servant can hold shares in any company in the Territory or acquire land except for housing purposes. • Mr. Barrett believes that public servants should be permitted to acquire and develop land and continue as useful citizens of the Territory after their re tirement, rather than that they should leave the country. • He would like also to see the status of the PS raised to something comparable with the British Colonial Service and, as with the Colonial Service, he would like to see that before a person can serve in the Territories Department at head quarters in Canberra he must, at some time, have served in one of the Terri tories. At the present time men in the Department in Canberra are completely Inexperienced in Territory matters because they have not lived or worked there, he said.

• The axe will not fall on a number of temporary Public Servants who, for lack of educational qualifications, are unable to be appointed to permanent positions. Although these cannot be ad mitted to the “Second Division” (presum ably adult male appointments) they will be admitted to the “Third Division” as Clerical Assistants and given an oppor tunity of passing examinations for the Second Division.

But when new recruits are found for the PS (200 next year, it is hoped) some temporary employees whose work and conduct has “not been as satisfactory as desired” will be replaced.

If Mr. J. S. Kean has taken up an

appointment as representative in

the South West Pacific for Shell Oil Company, with his headquarters in Suva. He was formerly stationed at Head Office, Melbourne.

U Mr. J. P. Bayly has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Morris Hedstrom Ltd., Fiji.