Responsible government in the Dominions: Responsible government in the Dominions

Responsible government in the Dominions (Vol. 1)

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Multivolume work

Identifikator:: 1896933912

Document type:: Multivolume work

Author:: Keith, Arthur Berriedale http://d-nb.info/gnd/119086794

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Press

Year of publication:: 1912-

Collection:: Economics Books

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Volume

Identifikator:: 1896934455

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-236504

Document type:: Volume

Author:: Keith, Arthur Berriedale http://d-nb.info/gnd/119086794

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Volume count:: Vol. 1

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Pr.

Year of publication:: 1912

Scope:: LI, 568 Seiten

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Document type:: Multivolume work

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part II. The executive Government

Collection:: Economics Books

346 THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT [parr 1I having a permanent Civil Service. In 1857 steps were taken by the Parliament of the united Canada to organize a service with permanent deputy heads and grades, and on federation further Acts were passed to deal with the Civil Service of the Dominion. In 1882 a long Act was passed which regulated for many years the position. The defects of the whole plan were brought out very clearly in 1908, when after much pressure from the Opposition the Commission which had been appointed to inquire into the situation presented their report.! It was severely criticized in many respects, especially by the Minister of Defence, who brought out in reply a very ably written report by General Lake,? in which he controverted the attacks made by the Commission on the large head-quarters staff of 220 officers for the management of a force which consisted of only about 3,000 permanent men, and which drilled some 40,000 militia annually. But the weight of the report was beyond doubt, and the points which it criticized were so wrong in principle that it would be impossible to defend them on any evidence. It appeared that nomination from a list of qualified candidates was the order of the day, that such nominations were political jobs, and that after appoint- ment success depended on further political influence : there was little regular promotion, and all the best posts were reserved by ministers for rewarding their friends, with the result that the service was utterly disorganized—the members of the service who owed their posts to political nominations being indifferent to discipline. Moreover, the Commission reported that salaries were too low, and de- plored the repeal of the old superannuation arrangements, recommending that they should be renewed, and provision made for the supply of pensions to widows and children. They also criticized in the freest manner the administration of the Marine Department, and made allegations of dishonest conduct with regard to the officials. Civil Service reform accordingly was introduced in 1908 in anticipation of the general election, as public feeling had t Sce Uanadian Annual Review, 1908, pp. 86 seq. * bid, pp. 91-3.

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