High standard of shorthand required

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32566, 27 March 1971, Page 9

High standard of shorthand required

A recent advertisement calling for a “senior shorthand typist” for the Ministry of Transport entailed one of the most demanding and highly skilled shorthand-typing positions within the Public Service, the district inspector of the State Services Commission (Mr D. A. Warmington) said this week.

He was replying to “Perplexed” who, in a letter to the editor of "The Press” printed on Wednesday, had said that the starting salary quoted ($3258 a year) would make many persons wonder in what sectors of the com-

munity ruling rates surveys were conducted for the fixing of State service salaries. “The matter of fixing salaries is complex and depends on the assessment of many factors. The reference to a 'senior’ position can be confusing and misleading. The position in the Ministry of Transport advertisement was certainly a ‘senior’ one but it carried a much higher rating than the positions normally associated with the Public Service designation of ‘senior shorthand typist’ and the required qualifications are also correspondingly higher,” said Mr Wannington.

“The particular position referred to in the advertisement entails reporting for the Transport Licensing Authority and, in my view, it would be one of the most demanding and highly skilled positions within the Public Service,” he said. “It is highly specialised, requiring considerable skill and devotion to duty and involving much travelling and often long hours without relief. “Ideally, it would suit persons qualified with the Shorthand Reporters’ examination. Candidates for this examination are required to write shorthand at a rate varying between 160 and 180 words a minute and to show a very

high degree of accuracy in typing. They are also required to pass an oral examination to display their intelligence and understanding of proceedings in the law courts and other allied matters,” he said.

Mr Warmington said that only 14 persons in the Public Service had this qualification and, of these, only five were listed as belonging to the reporters’ occupation group. Because of the lack of qualified reporters, the required standard had been lowered and the minimum qualification for the position now required an ability to take shorthand at a rate of 130 words a minute. “It may interest your correspondent to know that on the last two occasions when this position fell vacant in Christchurch, only one application was received each

time in spite of national advertising. There are a number of these positions throughout New Zealand which remain unfilled because of the lack of suitable applicants.” he said.