The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-05-06
AFFAIRS IN IRELAND
As Related by One Who Recent,
Visited the Old Land.

Gently returned from a trip to his
former home in Ireland:
Under the auspices OF the Gaelic
league an effort is being made in Ire
land to establish a national civil serv-
ice. It is estimated that there are
in the country about 800 public bodies.
embracing county, rural and district
councils, poor law boards of different
kinds harbor boards and asylum
boards, all controlled by the people
and employing about 5000 persons.
This is the nucleus of q nation wide
scheme Of civil service which, if or
st,nized and developed along national
lines. might be a source of great
wealth to the country, would undoubt-
edly give it more efficient service,
and would help to stem the tide Of
emigration which is draining the ma
ton of it's young man and woman
hood,
At present the Irish civil service is
. but Of little service to the country. 1t
is unorganized, has no aim, no STAN
dard, no common purpose. Its ranks
are recruited by favoritism, and real
body selects it's own employees without
any regard to the common welfare, and
often without much concern for itself.
The result is that q country admitted
ly possessed Of a population endowed
with more than the average stock OF
abilities, receives the poorest public
service of any country in the world
To take the place of the present I'M
satisfactory system it is proposed to
unity all the public offices. adopt a
standard Of efficiency for each depart
ment, and and establish sys-
tenn of competitive examinations
for all branches Of the civil serv-
ice. Each body at present has the
power to nominate its own employees,
and there is nothing to prevent them
adopting another and a better sys-
TEN of obtaining help if they SO de-
sire. This is one matter at least for
which they do not have to go to
England, and if they fail to establish
it the sin must be on their own hands.
The county of Monaghan has already
filling offices. Kerry and several 9TH
er counties are considering a similar
scheme These are improvements on
the old state of affairs, but they can
never attain the success possible until
all the counties unite in a common
scheme of civil service for the whole
country.
In giving an outline Of an Irish ma
tional civil service one of the Dublin
papers recently wrote: '"The scheme
does not destroy the rights Of patron
age in our public bodies. It does not
impose upon such a body the obliga-
ton Of appointing to positions in it's
service a stranger who may have Sc
cured high marks in his examination.
1t postulates a qualifying examina-
ton which all young Ireland shall be
free to enter for. from the qualified
it leaves the public bodies freedom
to choose as they desire. 1t ensures
solely that the public official appoint
Ell shall be qualified for his work and
shall be acquainted, as far as all in
sential concerns of his country. 1t
ensures that the Irish official shall be
q qualified official but it does not i'll
terfere with the right OF those who
appoint him.
It is believed that national scheme
Of civil service would also be a great
help toward the attainment OF an
Irish Ireland. One accomplishment
almost certain to be insisted upon is
that all candidates for public offices
shall possess practical knowledge of
recuniary rewards at present offered
those who study the Gaelic tongue, its
progress toward becoming the uni
versal language of the country is
rather slow. Once given commercial
value, as it would be If made an es-
sential part Of the program required
of persons aspiring to some Of the best
positions in the country, there would
be little fear of it becoming dead
language.
Irish history would also benefit
through system of national civil
service. A knowledge Of the resources
Of the country, of it's economic pos
sibilities, it's minerals, geography
climatic conditions, etc, would also
doubtless be insisted upon, and in this
way matters of extreme Importance to
the development OF any country, but
q Of which 1rishmen, through no fault
\ of their own, are deplorably deficient
insofar as their native country is