a 
attempt to introduce into the Civil 
Service a body of men designed from 
the outset to discharge the higher 
Functions of the Service, as the Higher 
Division of the British Civil Service 
is, and qualified to do so by more sub. 
stantial educational equipment than 
that possessed by those who enter 
under the present system. It is true 
that some encouragement is given to 
those men to widen the scope of their 
knowledge by attending evening and 
other classes at ‘the Universities, but 
this practice does not produce the 
same effect as would the introduction 
of a “cadre” of men who have had 
the highest education in their youth, 
and is uneconomic in that the start 
is not made with the best material 
available. Any such recruitment 
should, of course, be on an equal foot- 
ing for all, that is to say, by open 
competitive examination, and we do 
not suggest that men should be 
appointed merely because they have 
a University or other qualification, 
except, of course, in the case of purely 
technical posts. Examinations should 
be open to men from the Mother Coun- 
try and from other dominions, as those 
tor the British Civil Service are now 
open to men from all the dominjons— 
uot merely because by this means the 
men with the best qualifications might 
be obtained, but because any such 
system might conceivably lead to a 
freer interchange of thought and 
practice. . These objects might also be 
attained by interchange for temporary 
service of Australian civil servants 
with those of the Mother Country and 
of the other Dominions. 
4. We think that the efficiency of 
the Civil Service of Australia would 
be strengthened if the conditions of 
employment were uniform and officers 
were freely interchangeable between 
the Commonwealth and the various 
States. In any case we think that ib 
would be to the advantage of the 
Commonwealth and of all the States 
that transfers should be freely made 
where positions of importance have to 
be filled in any of the Civil Services. 
5. We consider it a serious anomally 
that there should be a conflict of 
authorities governing the Services and 
the conditions of employment of 
ficers, namely, the Public Service 
Commissioners and the Arbitration 
Jourts. More than one body deals 
with the same questions, and a Court 
cannot possibly have that intimate 
wmowledge of the affairs of the Ser- 
rice. which is available to the Public 
Service Commissioners. The Austra- 
ian Services are zealous and loyal, but 
she system is not well calculated to 
promote those qualities which, above 
all, should characterise a Service en- 
rusted with. the administration of 
Government business. We take the 
‘ollowing extract from the annual re- 
dort of the Commonwealth Public Ser- 
vice Board, 1925: — 
‘“ It is, however, anomalous that 
while the Public Service Board is 
vested with authority under the 
Public Service Act to inquire into 
methods of management of depart- 
ments with a view to more econo- 
mical working and to fix rates of 
payment in accordance with the 
ascertained relative value of the 
duties performed, awards may be 
made from time to time by the 
Public Service Arbitration Court 
varying the decisions of the Board. 
Under existing legislation two 
separate authorities are engaged 
without co-ordination on the 
same task of adjudicating on the 
"emuneration of public servants. 
* Duplication of authority in 
determining the conditions of em- 
ployment of public servants is 
opposed to the public interest, and 
presents a problem in legislation 
which must sooner or later be 
faced. In the opinion of the Board 
the time has arrived when serious 
consideration should be given to 
the establishment of a proper co- 
ordination between the functions 
of the Public Service Board and 
those of the Public Service Arbi- 
trator in the determination of 
salaries, wages, hours of duty and 
overtime.’?