STATE SERVICES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 290, 7 December 1937, Page 12

STATE SERVICES.

REGRADING COST.

HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS. SOME NOW REACH £1500. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Monday. Over £250,000 ie involved in the regradlng votes contained in the Supplementary Estimates presented to the House of Representatives to-day. The benefit is distributed over every Department of State. ,An important feature of the new votes is an attempt to improve the financial statue of those officers who control the larger branches of the public service.

It has been the subject of critical comment in Parliament that control of the newer services of radio broadcasting was being remunerated at a higher rate than that paid for possibly more responsible administration of other State activities, the Director of Broadcasting receiving £1500 per annum, and the Controller of the Commercial Service a similar amount.

The General Manager of Railways, formerly paid £1500, is to receive £1000, and he has two assistants, one receiving £1350 and the second £1250 per annum. The Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, controls the expenditure of many millions, has been receiving £1400, and now rises to £1500.

The third large State Department in point of numbers of employees is the Post Office, with 10,475 permanent officers. Its Director-General receives an increment of £100, bringing his salary to £1500. The Assistant Directo--General o.f this Department also' receives £100 extra, making a total salary of £1100, and provision is made for the first time for a second deputy director-general at £800.

Brought up to the £1350 mark by increases of £100 are the Comptroller of

Customs, Director-General of Education, Director-General of Health and DirectorGeneral of Mental Hospitals. Next in financial ranking are the DirectorGeneral of Agriculture and Secietary of the Industries and Commerce Oepartment, who receives increments bringing their salaries to £1300 per annum. The Secietary of Labour is to receive £10t>(), and the Secretary of Marine Department and the Commissioner of Police £1000, while the permanent head of the Prime Ministers Department, formerly on a salary of £1150, is now paid £1200 per annum. How Distributed. The vote* on the Estimates to cover the cost o t regrading the Public Service <lo not total the amount announced by the Prime Minister in hie statement to L'arliaiuent, the difference being due to expenditure involved in other items. The total shown is £250,322, as being the cost of regiading, and thifl large sum is being distributed among the Departments as follows: —

Treasury 895 Customs 7,'ZiYt Land and Income S'slx Stamp Duties ?'o^,, Audit I 'r,u?. I'ubllc Service Commissioner -»0 Internal Affairs 1,:54;j External Affjiirs •'■• Prime Ministers I>'l>t 00 Printing and Stationery '•><;* Mm sine 2,ofi.j Labour 8,040 Emnlovment Promotion .... 8."00 Native a.3|>3 Valuation g«fj» Census and Statistics 'SO Justice and Prisons 4,<80 Crown Imw Office 20 I»i>]lev, civil staff 80 Army, civil staff 3<is Air Force, civil staff 240 Lund and Survey 0,705 Agriculture 0,500 Industries and Commerce .. 1,700 Mines 715 Transport 430 H.iilth 1,925 Mi-ntnl Hospitals 8.505 Education 1.000 Pensions 1.235 Natkmal Provident Fund ... 345 Public Works lu,«Br. St;ite forests 1,175 Railways, first division 28.000 Post and Telf-graph 125,000 Public Trust 0.000 Government Insurance 1,125 State Fire Insurance 2,100 Dairy Industry Account ... 230 Broadcasting Account 2.205 Total , 250,322