NOT YET ON THE LIST

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 255, 24 July 1936, Page 10

NOT YET ON THE LIST

Prime Minister Scotches a Rumour RETIRING CIVIL SERVANTS The attitude of the Government toward the retirement of civil servants on superannuation was discussed last evening in an interview by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage. It was mentioned to him that rumours were current to the effect that the Government was preparing a list of civil servants who had completed or who were about to complete 40 years’ service and that these employees of the State as a matter of general policy would be placed on superannuation in the near future. “I did not know that we had got as far as that,” the Prime Minister said smilingly. “It can be taken as definite that the rumour is premature to a marked extent and that no action in that direction is contemplated in the immediate future. “The objective of the Government is certainly to shorten the working life as well as the working week, so that men can enjoy to the full the benefits of the machine age. At the same time we want to provide a standard of superannuation which will enable men to keep themselves in reasonable comfort after they have reached the retiring age. This same policy will apply to all workers, whether they are civil servants or not, and the whole position with regard to superannuation will have to be investigated and put on a sound basis before any definite decision can be reached.” ,