We are very fortunate in this country that many of the senior public positions are relatively permanent and non-political. In the United States the top jobs change with every president; consequently it is six months or so before the new appointees have the knowledge and control of their jobs that their predecessors had. In the interval such incidents as the Cuban invasion and even the atomic bombing of Japan could take place because neither the President or his top team knew what reliance to place upon their various agencies and pressure groups.

In New Zealand we do not change the heads of our departments with every change of government. The new Cabinet Ministers usually have a period of grace in which to find their feet before anything occurs that really demands a "policy" decision. But our record is not good.

U.N. Representatives

New Zealand has a record of outstanding representatives at the United Nations. But Sir Leslie Munro, elected chairman of the General Assembly, was suddenly notified that his National Party appointment was not to be renewed by the Labour Government. Thus a man both popular and skilful is lost to his country. And now his successor, Mr Foss Shanahan, is not to be reappointed. The National Government seems to have so decided before even determining on a successor. Mr Shanahan attained the important position of Chairman of Unesco. Once again we lose the services of one whose loss we can so ill afford.

An even more saddening example is the way that the post of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom was kept vacant for the duration of the Labour Government; presumably because a suitable yes-man could not be found.

When a political party becomes the Government, its first duty is to the country, not to itself. Of course its principles and attitudes determine how that duty should be carried out. But the old old game of finding good jobs for one's friends, and perquisites for one's relatives, was only tolerable when the "public sector" was relatively unimportant. We hope the National Government will try to be relatively impartial.

—Coro.