THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 255, 21 July 1908, Page 8

THE CIVIL SERVICE.

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER;: , ' • CLASSIFICATION' 'AND SUPER ANNUA- J " TION. ' ] " ' A•' number of the decisions of tho - Con--, j fororicoof '■ Civil. Sovants • were '■ brought . ' ■ under-the notice of tho Prime Minister y6s-' : • torda'yby" a -deputation ; introduced;-by Mr. i ■ li. Tregear. V . . . ■ •? ; -i-'' J • - Tho appointment ofa special Board of ,'Appeal under' the' Classification- Act was jirgedi •*. bv Mr. • Sponce.' •It • was also; : represented \ that Government officos should close at noon \ on Saturday, and that, regularity:.should '■ be i given to the matter: of annual'leaive. •'"' 1 ■Mr. Adams submitted the decision that the . payment l .ofwidows;,under:.the, Superanniia- j ' tion scheme-should be increased from .£lB- > to £52. : eyqn j ' tions ,; He,'. 'however, shg-. gested that; increasedcontributions should ; Be optional,'and • the . corresponding j benefits - only obtainable, when they , were made., - In case's where a Mntributor.retired througn,no • fault of: his own;, bis) interests':were; not ,suf- _ ficiently 'safegiiftrdedi' If retiring-before" en-, . 'titledl.to,a, pension, a contributor should receive'the ;amount of his'.-contribution and. , ' interest at tho rate of 3j per cent, per annnm. If .voluntarily no. pension , would bo asked f6r:' was :in sight^the ' case of a man who might'bo thrown out ,of • the Scrvico tmdof a pdlicyof retrenchment. £ The deputation'also a'sked .for further con- ;i Bideration' for the .widow; of; a man who died J ■ bofore.he becaime entitled to: a pension; and i that tho voluntary retfrement age should ho t made 60 years for:' males and 50 for' females • l instead of 65 and 55 respectively, -and. that, t tho compulsory- retiring age ishould' be 6o j •t n ijd : 'ss;;-Another point was that ;extra con- 1 B]deration 'should do'paid^to, temporary of-. ( ficcrs whoso; scrvico :was, only broken to ' a J • very , sniali : extent.' Many- deserving persons i were 'penalised 'by' that provision ; in • the Act. i allowances''should- bo paid' on ,the. t . . number of days' worked per-annum. < ' In a iengfcliy ,reply,/tbe Primo Mimster said c it-was. questionable .whether, legislation . as- ; asked'far could be brought dowri this session. i , He had been busy for'somo time r ■ deavouring 'to . remove sbirie bf the" existing I ' difficulties, ; ;but ;he ! did; not'-"think- ihat ,any i big reheme 'of 'superannuation or.matters',re- i lating thereto .would'be ' introduced, th is t '' sion. Ho 'did .riot'want the'ni to' go av.-ay with; g 1 ■ the impres'sion that tho Government cmi.u i ■ ■ bnng ; dbwn compre^ensive.legislation, on. tiio t • ' Bubject' .this. session, ■:though ' the J 'c i'i : wo'uld.be considered.' -He thought: t»o_ sug- t gcstion';regardin'g';the.appeal board' perfectly- j ■ fair, and would'.be very: glad to'look into .tho { matter. .' vThb 1 question' of .closing .Government" 1 offices-at twelve-o'clock; on; Saturdays would' -i ' bo very carefully considered. ;''Tbe Govern-; i ■ment , had "beforo, it tho .mattGr bf civil scr- i Tants' leave of absence ' generally, ; but .there; '1 . were .difficulties"in.'the. iway.'of; uniformity,;; t -which should be carried'out'on systematic l - 1 The;suggestion.to''^^give.,widow8-£52 j a year, would result in a similar concession, ,1 ' being ,wanted for. the Railway Department; i ' but this.could not' be done-'without tifcking < ■ tho'contribution higher.''--The superannuation > was really being turned by some pspple. into f tho pbsitipii:^)fyhayinjg;;ai salami aft'-i 1 retired from the.'Public Service." If Hiis w:o.;e' i '•expected the systep -was endangered.'The < proposals regaraing;persons, retiring through' i -no fault of .their' ownfrequiredvto .be_ care-' i fully 'gono.into,' .If the;,fund was going ,tb; ;] be made a Testing'.plaice-for retrenchments 1 • -. they , could say'good-bye to the 'scheme: :As '1 to contributions.- to widows he. 'was agreeable ; '. ~ to, th'o.request that contributions'for higlier ■""" benefits" should be compulsory, and ' 1 •• no case where, the Government "had 'refused to give cpmpensation;to a widow'iwhose' lpesi-;;,: w.c, - tion;really,demanded consideration.;• The/Gov-', ; ; -. . : crnment .-had, 'always ~tried ;'to;.;-findi!.Qu'fi. the ... 'v.;.- actual position,,of those.concerned,' and as t-o. . ' the : retiring''age' ; 'the 1 Prime showed ; ■ the. danger that would' accruo to tho system; -V if any shortening of' the ; seryice''took placed ■.). temporarjr; ~ -ofßcersi'and also';-in-regard' to broken time. The question 'of, compulsory ,retiremeiit'.'at the, r ■j;-V7 : !,ago v pf'sjs'ty-five f was-no'iv-under; He felt that the "'matter required- to bo : treated.;;sep'ar'ately:; : :'.;He V.tha'fdiiß- : ' culty riiet be i'requiring 'ba"ck ;; pay to I ■ be made:to meet the. esigencics of each 1 par- . ticular case. looked'upon superannuation (as; av: necessity- that ' ought''to'' be treatedi 'i fairly. be'' j ?X-: ;done 'onisound ]ines;>: ■Later;'on'in-'the : sessiori." ;i he hoped to be-ablo to .submit-other- proposals > ;:on .the .subject:, ;' He' assured' the deputation -■ •. the .Government wero givmg the -matters re- • . ferred: to',-the '-most; careful consideration. :, I'. CONCLUSION OF: THE CONFERENCE. \ ELECTION OF OFFICERS !r-.. Some, discussion took,place-as to the-pro- •' priety.of members of the-Civil .Service aug'/[■j ;. menting : their- salaries, by. taking .work- after' ;l office ; hours. .{'lt, was .generally, -agreed that' 4,.; the practice'-' was, an • undesirablo\.'one,' and. a; ; resolution was,-pa;ssedi-upholdihg,:thei.regula- ' tions forbidding the same, r- , r ■ Officers . for . the .ensuing!:year; were' elected as follow:— . :.. - - . Presidentr—Mr. Edffard Tregear; vice-pre-sidents i(one' for : each district branch of the i Association)--Slessrs. : 8..> B.- Allen, Welling- ' \ ton; H. .S. Fitzherbert,, Taranaki; D. E. M' Millan, , Hawke's yßay : ;, H.' ■W; Bishop, S M.', Canterbury ;:F. H. -Moricei Ota;go:: H: ' R Spericej. Auckland ;': and: J. H. ' Tressider,' Auckland;. Executive ; Committee—Messrs. Allen; Dixon, Fox, -Galvin, Kelleherj 'Paul; . ; Wright, - Robinson,; Spencer," ;Kondall,.: Mar-- ; • riott,--."Watson, Collins,. Jones, ; Jourdain;: Marks, Davis, Bennett, Lovett, and Holmes. Secretary.: and treasurer—Mr. J. : , D.. Avoryj It. decided that the next Conference will. ', be held in Auckland,, on a date to be fixed, by the Executivo Committee.