William Massey became prime minister in 1912 after promising to reduce expenditure and eliminate waste in the civil service. This cartoon, published that year, shows him planning to drop the sword of public service reform (an allusion to the sword of Damocles, from a Greek legend) on a cobwebbed civil servant labelled Deadwood Dick. The sign above Massey's head reads 'Political Nominee Department', an indication that many people believed civil servants obtained or retained their jobs through their support for the government of the day.
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Auckland Council Libraries − Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero o Tāmaki Makaurau, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: Auckland Weekly News Supplement, 19 Sept 1912, p. 4
Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.