CIVIL SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 193, 9 May 1908, Page 8

CIVIL SERVICE.

ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL MEETING. THE SUPERANNUATION BOARD ELECTION. ' Tho first annual meeting' of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Civil Service Association was. held last evening, Mr. E. Allport .presiding over an attendance of nearly forty members. ' ANNUAL REPORT. Tho Committee, in . their annual report, congratulated officers on the successful establishment of the Association. They believed that, as the objects and aims of the Association became better known, the niombership would. steadily incrtaso until the organisation bccamo a real power for good in the service. Various remits had been forwardeii to the. Executive Committee for consideration. These were mainly sug : gestiohs concerning the Classification • and Superannuation Acts. The Executive Committee had suggested that, to ensure-'the, appointment .of the best representative men to the elective positions on tlie Superannuation Board, branches should name one or more officers as suitable nominees, the executive _ then to select three from the whole,. Dominion for the united support of Associa-' tion members. The membership of the Branch on March. 31 was .212. There was an encouraging improvement in .the attitude of. officers towards the Association, -29 new membqrs already having joined .since the beginning ..of-this financial year.- ".-However, there was room for a very large increase in the . membership of the Branch. .The statement of accounts for the year showed receipts from subscriptions £32 ss. 6d., and expenditure £16 15s. * Bcl., leaving a credit of £15 9s. lOd. There was a balance of., assets over liabilities to • the amount of £6 10s. 4d. • . The report and balance-sheet were adopted without discussion. . } . V SUPERANNUATION BOARD. With regard to the Superannuation Board .olection, the ■ acting-secretary stated that there was a "feeling that the representation should, be distributed over the Dominionsay, ono member from Auckland, one from Dunedin, and .one from-Wellington or Christcluircli. It had. been suggested that, as the. permanent .meinbers of the Board were resident in-Wellington, it. -should be a graceful act on-the part of the Wellington branch to : allow the elective members to come from the other centres.. : ■ Mr:';C; E. Rigg-moved a -recommendation to the Executive Committee that two of the three elective ;members of the Superannuation Board should'be appointed from Wellington; r.iid the other member from elsewhere. •

This was seconded by Mr. E. Arnold. After some discussion, Mr. C. H.-W. Dixon moved an amendment recommending, that one member' bo elected from Wellington, one from Auckland, and one from Dunedin. Mr. J., W. Collins, while pointing , out that tho number of Civil Servants in' Wellington was much larger than in any other centre, urged' that the matter should not be considered from a provincial viewpoint. • The branch should -nominate two -local' men; but if stronger candidates were 'advanced' by other centres, .they should be glad to accept tTiem as representatives of the entire Civil Service. Tho, amendment was adopted on a division. ■Mr. C. W.Mtixon, chicf .clerk of. the Stamp Department, .was ' nominated by an. absolute 'majority out of- four' candidates. for. election, toVth'e" Board. .. .V .... AN INDEPENDENT APPEAL BOARD.' Mr.. C. Adams said it..had'been, suggested, that an independent Appeal Board would bo advisable, to rcduco. the dissatisfaction. that would undoubtedly arise at. the work of the - Classification Board. • He. mbvcd that in the v 6pinibn of : th'o 'branch' an" independent'- Appeal Board should bo set up,' consisting of a; Judge of the, Suprome ,'Court. or .Arbitration Court, one member appointed by'tlio Government, and o_no member appointed by the Department to"'which'.the appellimt'belonged. 5; 'Mr.;'Pl^J.; : .:Kcllohcr:-'seconded'the 'inotion. • Mr.,. W. -E, ,Jourdaim thought -that: Supreme Court Judges-had too much to'do already.'. There would bo sufficient appeal -against classifications, to take up the-t-ime of a.Court for several, months at a jiime, and he thought that it would bo better, if a perma,nont chairman of tho Appeal Board were appointed; instead of a'Supremo Court Judge. Ho-would obtain'Va- thorough knowledge of ,th'e' condi-, tions" in each department, and he thought that'tho system would work as satisfactorily as. it; did .111' tho Commonwealth... " This,motion .was. adopted. ' . ' :

• ' OTHER'BUSINESS.; ; V.A''.motion- to pay. the acting-secretary (Mr. J. D. Avery) an honorarium of £10 10s.- a year was withdrawn at. the request -of Mr.. Avory, who stated that the funds would not allow 6f- such payment: He explained that he had, been originally, appointed as secretary of the New Zealand executive, and ho could not continue to. combine with that.position, the duties of branch secretary for.tho -samo .Remuneration, V It was theii decided to grant art honorarium of £5 ss. to the acting secretary foi; his past services. . • " . '.. A member asked if any reply had been ipade' to recommendations to the Government passed by the, last conference. ' The'acting-secretary stated that answers had been received, but no decisions. Tho matters were still before the Government. They; ;Would' be .taken' up by the Council when it. met.'.in July, if. no definite, answers were i receivM:beforo,then, and a deputation would probably wait ( "oii tho Premier. ... ... It : Was decided that tlie remits 1 from the executive ccfinmittee to the branch bo considered at a special meeting. ' ; ' • '• lII■ answer to a question, the actings-secre-tary said ; that ho was "doubtful whether tho first scheme of. civil service • classification would-be ready, in timq for to be based on it next session. / Mr.: Jourdain moved that steps ,be-taken at onco by the committee to increase "the membership of the Association. ■ There were said to be about 5000' civil servants in Wellington, yet the membership of the Association' was only about 200. • Mr. Collins seconded the motion, • which was carried, unanimously.