A B767-200 CAPT RPTS RECEIVING AN ACFT CLRED BY MAINT WITH A MISSING WING SKIN PANEL. RPTS A SIMILAR INCIDENT TWO MONTHS PREVIOUS TO THIS EVENT.

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FO RETURNS FROM WALKAROUND AND TELLS ME THERE IS A PANEL MISSING OFF LEADING EDGE OF WING ROOT ON R SIDE. SAID HE HAD TALKED TO MECHANIC AND ACFT HAD COME FROM HANGAR AND HAD BEEN CLRED. I CALLED MAINT AND ASKED FOR A LEAD MECHANIC TO MEET ME AT ACFT. HE ADVISED ME THAT 3 PEOPLE HAD WALKED AROUND ACFT PRIOR TO MY FO. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME IN 2 MONTHS THIS HAS HAPPENED; IE; ACFT COMING FROM HANGAR AND BEING CLRED WITH PANEL MISSING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISES THE MISSING PANELS WERE WELL BEYOND ANYTHING REMOTELY DEFERRABLE. HIS EYEBALL ESTIMATE WAS THAT THE PANELS; LOCATED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WING BETWEEN THE FUSELAGE AND THE R ENG; WERE ROUGHLY TWO FT WIDE BY FOUR OR SIX FT IN LENGTH. IN ONE CASE A PLASTIC BAG OF FASTENERS WAS SAFETY WIRED TO ONE OF THE FASTENER LOCATIONS AWAITING REINSTALLATION. RPTR ADDRESSED SOME CONCERN REGARDING THE ACR'S REPLACEMENT OF LINE MECHANICS -- WHO ROUTINELY DO PRE AND POST FLT WALKAROUNDS -- WITH UNLICENSED PUSHBACK CREWS -- UNQUALIFIED TO DO SO -- MAY HAVE INFLUENCED THE APPARENT MAINT SHORTCOMINGS. RPTR WAS OPENLY AND OUTSPOKENLY DISTRESSED AT THE DETERIORATION IN THE MAINT OP AT HIS COMPANY. HE FELT THIS INCIDENT WAS A PARTICULARLY GROSS EXAMPLE OF WHAT HE SEES AS A GENERAL MALAISE TOWARDS THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES; A MALAISE HE FEELS RESULTED FROM REDUCTIONS IN PERSONNEL AND PAY; COUPLED WITH INCREASES IN RESPONSIBILITY AND WORKLOAD.