SUPERANNUATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 667, 18 November 1909, Page 8

SUPERANNUATION.

PROPOSALS, IN THE; BUDGET;:; : : POSITION -OF TEE CIVIL! SERVANT^;' The Public Service is always very interested; in any matter that : concerns itself;;,. The' Government , may . legislate' itself . out of existence so long as it does not infringe on the rights, privileges, etc., of .the Public.. Service!./Heads have been well together ever since the?introduction of Mr. A. L. Her'dman's Public Service Beform Bill, and' from, inquiries..; Bade the Bill appears to. .have' ;found favour with" a large majority of; Civil Servants, ■■ who know better than anyone the petty tyranny and favouritism ' that obtains in some - quarters' of, the Service as at present constituted. . "■':.■■.',":■■■'-,• *. Mr. Herdman's Bill, having'been blocked ...in; the House, the Service is now talking ovori that clause in the Budget which refers.;to. superannuation in' the following terms:—..'!.'

I propose to introduce legislation in connection with the superannuation of the publio .employees of the. Dominion. . The system : has now been upon trial, for some, time, and as the.result of careful investigation I feel that there .should' bo 'some 'restriction placed' upon the.amount of superannuation to be paid in tho'future. The easting rights of the present beneficiaries must,-of- course, be ' upheld,.■' and to enable this to he done I propose that on all salaries' of £400 a ytsr and over no alteration, shall be made, but those receiving below that salary at present, as well as those who may join the superannuation fund, shall not excoed £250 per annum, If any of those now contributors are not satisfied, all payments made by them, with interest added, vail be returned to them; and-in such cases they will be called upon to deduct 5. per. cent, from their salaries and lodge the same,; as was formerly the case, with the PuMic Trustee. • TJnder this alteration the superannuation system will bo a most generous one; but I am. strongly of the opinion, to protect the absolute. stability of the fund, that a, maximnm amount of pension must bo fixed., In order to enable the Government to retire officers under. conditions that may arise, the House-will bo asked to amend the Acttc;allow of this being dono in the-caso of officers who have been. thirty years in the Service avid who are not. less • than fifty-B+e years of age.' I wish to make it clear: that this provision will not give the right to any officer to retire under the' conditions named; 83 there are many- cases whero good service con.be obtained up to tho period now provided by Act, but cases , have arisen where a great injustice would have beon .done if men were forced.out whose services are no loneer regnired before'they, had reached tho period at which tho law as it stands at present' entitles .them to receive superannuation. AH those officers 'in Teceipt of .£4oo' or oyer may allow'their attention to wander., They are not concerned, inasmuch •as they. are not af'fected. It is the man that is coming on who is called .upon to consider his position. He must remember that however high" he soars in the Public Service lie will on retiring not be entitled to more than i£2so'per annum,' which is;a;very different state of things from what at present is the case'. In regard to'those who have retired, they have been entitled, roughly, to from, one-half :to two-thirds ~of the. ; 6alary' they were'in receipt of at date of retirement. TJnder the.present system an officer receiving £400.a year would be entitled to £266 13s.' 4d. on retiring at 65 ycarsof age; provided ho had 40. years' sen-ice to his credit,'£333 Gs. 83. if in receipt of £500, and so on. It may bo argued that after an officer has been in .receipt of a high salary for, a long term of-years ho is not entitled.-to such a high'rate of superannuation, but. some Departmental officers argue that '.the minimum proposed in the Budget will deter mend high attainments from entering tho Service. ' _, :' ;';'■ ' ,',-. ' The clause,'too, reserving; to. tbo Government power to retire ah pffioerat 55 (wlo has been 30 years -in' the service) is' regarded in some Departmental-quarters as a blow to the tenure of the' service. ' Though no one is asking; for a; lease-in-perpeteity of *a ! Civil. Service.': position; there-are .plenty of, men at'ss, w,ho. may be'regarded as in a ripe middle-age, and never better fitted for doing really responsible' work. The,'! Prime Minister, is careful .to provide at the "same time that the proposed.alteration' does not work both, ways—officers are not .to bo given the'quid pro quo of. retiring at 55' ■years,' if they 'wish to dp- so.'' The new retiring ago is regarded as another cog-wheel in.thei political machine, strengthening the powers of Ministers over ths. Service. .