CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 142, 17 June 1922, Page 11

CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES.

THE PROPOSED SECOND CUT. PROTEST BY AUCKLAND MEMBERS. The public servants of Auckland held a mass meeting last evening in tJt. James' Hall to consider the question of a further "cut" iv salaries, which is due to take effect on July 1. Mr. H. VV. C. Mackintosh, chairman of the Auckland branch of the Public Service Association, presided, and the building was crowded by members from all hranches of the Public Service.

The chairman said that representatives of each branch of the service had been nominated to take action in connection with the matter. They had met Messrs, Clutha Macko.n7.ie. MVP., M. ... Savage, M.P.. and YV. E. Tarry, M.P., and had placed before them the full effect the second "cut"' would have on the service. The members of Parliament had expressed their sympathy with the public servants. There were those who did not think that a further reduction would be made, but he pointed out that the Minister of Finance had already submitted the matter to the President of the Arbitration Court, which seemed to be a clear Jndication that he intended to proceed with it. The matter rested solely in his hands. The provisions of the Public Expenditure Adjustment Act compelled him to submit the question of the cost of living to the Court prior to making ft "cut,"' but the power to postpone or enforce a further reduction rested with him.

After a. general discussion the following motion was carried: —- "That this mass meeting of public servants of Auckland protests most emphatically against any further .eduction in wages as provided for in the Public Expenditure Adjustment Act, on the following grounds: (1) Public servants were the last of the workers to receive increases to meet the increased cost of living. (2) Public servants were the first to suffer the reduction. ('■',) The red notion already in force from January 1 is considerably in excess of the recent award of the Arbitration Court which took place 4?, months later. (4) The •increases granted were never at any time commensurate with the increase in the cost of living upon which they were supposed to be based. (n) The cost of living as at to-day, as shown by the recent figures published by the Government, statistician, does not show a decrease sufficient to warrant the first cut. far less any further reduction. 'fi) The principle of the special taxation imposed on one section of the community by the first cut will be emphasised by a further reduction. Finally,, this meeting calls upon our respective Kxecutive Committees to take immediate action to prevent a farther hardship] heing imposed upon the public servants of the Dominion."' j