RETRENCHMENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 547, 30 June 1909, Page 8

RETRENCHMENT.

I STILL INCOMPLETE, > , N THEDISMJBBALBTO DATE. ■ ' , TOWARDS OF EIGHTY IN WELLINGTON. The GovommenVs Civil Service rotrench- , ment scheme 'is not yet complete, for, although the publio washnformod somo weeks ago of tho number of dismissals to be effected in certain Departments, tho devils 'aro not i yot Bottled in respect of several others. An u endeavour is made in this i article to collect the (information available up to tho present date, in, so far as it relates to tho numbor of , officers who aro being dismissed. i Land and Income Tax. # Rotrotchmont has been somewhat drastic m the Land and Income Tax, Valuation, and Advances to Settlors Departments, which , aro now merged into ono. About fifteen members of the original Land and Income Tax Department hdva been discharged, and fry o transferred to other Departments In the Valuation Department, eight clerks havo been retired, and two transferred to other „ Departments Si\ or seven men in tho Advances to Settlers Department have been dispensed with* It has been stated by an , i ex-Minister (Mr. A W Hogg) that several valuers had been discharged ' > Publio Works. ' . V lO , Public' Works Department, whioh now includes Mines and Roads, has been retrenching in all parts of tho country Somo men have been discharged, and others have been reduced from supervisors to workmen 'The Pf 00 ** 3 is understood to bo not yet complote iho Roads and Bridges i Department, prior to its absorption; vas presided over by Mr. t. ft ,Hnrsthous6, as Chief Engineer, who ■retired on superannuation, and the Mines ' Department by Mr T. H Hamor, who re- . oeived an appointment in London, and the positions vacated by theso officers aro not to Bo ailed Tho Geological Survey staff has been considerably reduced, it boing intended to maintain only ono field party m each island i ' 'Agrloulture. , ' Tho Agricultural Department has witnessed the transfer of its head (Mr. J. D', Ritchie) t td preside 'over another Depart-' ment, 'a drastic reduction jn tho number of its divisions, and tho loss of half-a-dozen experts by compulsory retirement or transfer. In addition, about 40 officers in different parts of tho Dominion are being dispensed with and one or two clerks in Wellington. \ ■- The Tojnst Department, which has been taken into the Agricultural Department, has retrenched about 20 officors in all parts of the Dominion Its late head (Mr. T. E. Donne) has received an appointment in connection with tho-High Commissioner's office in London. . ' \ < , Publio Health. j 'The Health Department has" lost-its head (Dr. Mason), who has gone to take up special work for ihe Government in London. The clerical staffs of tho head office and the Wellington District office comprised until lately llsmen and youths and 4 female ty--1 pis-cB. Of these only one man and the typists remain. Two out of tho four assistants at the Pathological Laboratory have been dispensed with. It was undorstood to bo ; the intention of the Government to abolish the Nativo branch of the Health Department. This would have involved the reHirement of Dr. Pomaro and 10 sanitary mspectorSj but it has .now been decided *to retain their services, but to 'place 'thorn under tho control of tho _ Native Department. 1 Electoral. Fourteen out of tho twonty-five members of the head-office staff of tho Electoral Department havo been discharged. This De- \ partment has been amalgamated with that of tho , Registrar-General (Mr. E J von Dadolszen, Registrar-General, having retired , on superannuation), but there has been no reduction of tho staff of the latter Depart- j I meat. ' t Printing Office. The Government Printing Office has re- * trenched two clerkß. Ono overscor, who has i' ' nearly reached the ago limit, has also been ' retired. Tho number of employees 'actually ' engaged in the production of printed matter ( varies greatly from timo to time, owing to the ' fluctuations in the amount of work tho office is called upon to turn out. At present, I owing to tho .suspension of' the sittings oi Parliament, tho staff is smaller than it usu- " ally i8 t at this time of joar. ' Customs and Marino. Th° only officer to, sever hts connection with tho Customs Department as a result of retrenchment is a drapory expert at Duncdm Tho "Marine Department has retrenched a - '' few inspectors of fisheries. Post and Telegraph. L The Post and Telegraph Department is not reducing its staff, except by retirements under the age limit, or for causes not connected ,with the retrenchment schemo Tho x only way in which tho zeal for economy has ' affected postal officers is in ithe now rule under whioh country postmasters wdl no longer have free house accommodation The Old Age Pensions Department has been absorbed by tho Postal Department, hut tho whole of its staff, with tho exception of three- who have joined other Departments, < i have gone with it M Sovon are being employed I in postal duties and twolvo in pensions ad- i ministration . I Tho Stanips and Deeds * Department, as already stated, is to bo broken up' and distributed among three others, but the change has not yet boon effected ' Escaping tho Pruning Knife. ' Departments which aro not losing officors through the retrenchment scheme (except in the cases of a feu retirements on superannuation) include the follow rag.—Tho Public v Trust Office, Lands and Surra}, Justice- (including Prisons, Police, Law Drafting Office, aiul Orawn Law Office), Hospitals, and Mental Hot-pitils Up to tho present there has been no retrenchment in the Labour Department apart from the retirement of a few officers on superannuation, as announced somo months ago. Tho decision to morgo tho Immigration Department into., tho Labour Department has been reversed ' . It is not expected that there will bo any - material shortening of staff in tho Defence Department, though important changei may bo mado as tho result of tho now' policy which the Pnmo Minister has promised to , la\ before Parliament ', Tho above statements account for the dis-' missal of about 80 Civil Servants in Welling- | ton, irrespective of those in other parts of the Dominion J It is, honover, impossible to got complete lists at present, and it is probable that the total in Wellington is larger than that stated, and will ultimatoiy be still further increased It should be noticed that the figures hero given do not take into account the retirements which havo occurred in compliance with the rule as to ago