56

 We wish to make it clear that we do not regard the federal and the
 remaining local services as being in any way watertight- compartments; and
 we anticipate there will be no bars to transfers between them, when it is in
 the interests of the. public service and of the individuals concerned that such
 should take place; For this and other reasons we foresee that the Public
 Service Commission, in addition to serving the needs of the federal public
 service, may usefully also be available; in the manner proposed by the"
 S Holmes Commission, to assist Unit Governmepts regarding non-federalised
 Services. By this means we expect that a salutary unifying influence will be
 S exerted throughout the region and throughout all- services, which.cannot fail
 to be of general benefit by enhancing the attractiveness .of thepublic service
 and making it easier to place officers in- the\posts for.which they are best
 suited."
 While under Federation there is to be a Federal Service, the existence of a..
 S Public Services Commission will-result in- exerting a unifying influence throughout
 the whole region, and the Civil Servants need not be afraid that they will not get'
 their share of the benefits which will-be coming,from Federation.
 In proceeding with their-'discussion,- the Holmes Commission, Came up with
 certain difficulties like housing conditions. They thought quite contrary to thf "
 view of thi amalgamated Civil Service Association of the West Indies; they)
 thought differently from that body and they said that in the-light of consideration
 of what should be the criterion for. admission for a post to a unified service, it was
 their opinion that the following services were now iipe for unification :
 Administration,
 Agriculture,
 Civil Aviation,
 Forests,
 Legal and Judicial,
 Medical,
 Police,
 Postal & Prisons.
 I refer to this aspect of the question to show that, contrary to the expectations
 and hopes of the Civil Service Association, the Commission found that they had to
 make suggestions for just a limited number of Services, and that in those cases
 their recommendations are limited to recruitment and promotion to the posts set -
 Sout in Appendix III of the Report. .
S.Now tle S.C.A.C. admits that it is essential that there should be a Civil Service
 Cominission and this .Civil Service Commission will be responsible to the Federal
 Government. Now, if the Civil Service Commission is established under present
 conditions, that Commission would not be responsible to any of the Legislatures in
 the area, and that was one of the weaknesses of the scheme that I pointed out to
 Sir Maurice Holmes, and because of that weakness the proposal is unacceptable
 under present conditions. But, as I have said before, whether it is unification or
 whether it is federation, a Public Service Commission must be there. It is
 essential, says the S.C.A.C., in order to keep the Civil Service out of politics and to
 advise the Federal Government.
 In connection with the unification of Administrative pnzts, paragraphs 52-55 of
 the Commissibn's Report deal with the queS ions of how officers are to be selected,
 which form should their training take, and how the cost of training is to be met.