CITY GRADING SCHEME.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 65, 19 March 1926, Page 5

CITY GRADING SCHEME.

MERIT AND FITNESS STRESSED PROMOTION FROM WITHIN. FINAL SUGGESTIONS TO COUNCIL. for epveral months the grading of the pjnplnj-ces of the Auckland City Council j 7, as h'nen under consideration, and the mattrr ha? now advanced to the stage of a comprehensive scheme being drawn ~p for final adoption. It was recommended to the council last by the Finance Committee for favourable consideration and was deferred for a fortnight. Explaininz the seneme the town clprK. Mr. J- S. Brigham. stated that the adoption of merit and fitness as the bases of promotion, to the exclusion of mere length of sen-ice, formed a fundamental principle in its working. A grading scheme, he stated, would allow of the inauguration of a system of inter-de-partmental promotion which had hitherto r.ot been practised to the extent desirable in the corporation's service. It ■was especially Intended to prevent departments from being watertight and aimed at encouraging co-operation | between departments in the interests of promotion, where it was found feasible to remove an employee from one department to higher duties in another if a. vacancy occurred. Commenting on this point, "Mr. TSrignam explained that an officer with a knowledge of two or three- departments was a much more valuable servant to the corporation than one whose knowledge was confined to a single department. Additions to the Staff. The provision that the scheme marie for promotion from within included, as a necessary part of its working, the employment of cadets and juniors. Accordingly. new appointments to clerical positions on the council were to be made by cadets, and the matriculation examination was to be the entrance examination. Young men were to be encourased to undertake a course of University study, and success in this direction was to he taken into consideration in the annual salary list. The grading scheme was to include all officers of the corporation whose salaries were less than £500, ar.d the salaries of olhVers receiving over £500 'were to be reviewed annually by the council. It was suggested that a scale of annual increments commencing from ,(say) £S0 up to about £330 'be adopted for strictly clerical employees only. This would" go far towards simplifying the procedure of revising the annual salary list. Officers receiving more than £350 could be considered in the ordinary way. as they would .be comparatively few in number. Regarding the working of the scheme, no officer could lie eligible for promotion from one class to another •until he was regraded and placed in the higher class. Once having- been regraded, however, an officer would be placed in the class into which he had been regraded, and would proceed by yearly increments until he had reached that class. Regrading was part of the scheme that would not be an automatic process. Increased duties and responsibilities, coupled with the capacity to carry out higher duties, would be the qualifications for a higher grade, and it was hoped that scrupulously careful grading in promoting from one class to another would it fleet itself in an efficient staff. The Modus Operandi. The modus operandi to effect the initial grading of all officers would require to be in such a manner as to inspire confidence in the staff. Assuming that the man who was filling a position was the man who knew most about it, it was suggested that in the event of a grading scheme beiag adopted each officer be supplied with a schedule to be completed, and to set out in detail the duties he performed. This schedule would be sent to his controlling officer for specific comment, and endorsement of the statements contained therein. To carry out the initial grading it would probably be necessary to appoint a small special committee. The task would not be so formidable as might at first appear, but it might be necessary and probably desirable for the grading committee to pay a visit of inspection to every office and later to personally call each officer before it. Even if the work had to be spread over' some weeks it would be justified, because the ultimate results would prove of incalculable benefit not only to the corporation, but also to the employees. The personal statement of duties and the personal interview would create confidence and the carrying out of the grading by the one committee would ensure equality of treatment of the different officers in different departments. "Never Been Attempted Before." "This is a very important thing , /' observed Mr. Brigham. "which has never been attempted before. Grading had been in operation for years in the Government -service, but this is the first time a scheme has been placed before the council." Before Christmas the town clerk was requested to undertake the. drawing up of the scheme; and, in doing so, he had reviewed, as a means of. comparison, the scales of salaries paid by other bodies and companies, particularly the scale in operation in banks, insurance and shipping offices. His resume of these scales makes interesting reading, and is set out in the report as follows:— Average annual Business. drawings for 10 yearly periods. N.Z. Shipping Offices £168 10 0 N.Z. Insurance Offices £169 10 0 Public Service. 11)24 scheme.. £173 10 0 Average for all scales £175 14 0 Anstralian Banks in N.Z £178 6 0 Insurance Award in Australia £TSI i 0 0 Bank of Xew Zealand £183 0 O Public Service, 1020 scale »IS3 10 0 Best salary in any scale £187 0 0 "I have seen quite a number of grading schemes," observed Cr. Bloodworth. last evening, "but I have never seen a better scheme than the one proposed." Cr. Brownlee: I am in favour of a grading- scheme, but there are certain matters, which, in my opinion, require explanation. Finally, it was decided to defer the scheme for further consideration for a fortnight, and in the meantime the town clerk was to discuss the various points with councillors.