CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES.

Evening Post, Volume XLIX, Issue 109, 9 May 1895, Page 2

CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES.

We hear the fiat has gone forth that chare are to be no inoreases in Civil Servants' salaries. It may be that, notwithstanding " surpluses " and borrowed money, the colony cannot afford to give inoreases, however meritorious the services of tho officers may have been. Until tho Budget proposals — or, at all events, the yearly accounts— have been published, we are unable to say. There seems to us, however, much inconsistency in the way this question of Balaries is dealt with. Though salaries are not raised, yet thero is a system of bonuses that praotically takes the oontrol of the ealarioß from Parliament. Any Civil Servant that happens to be peculiarly obliging or subservient to Ministers can get a bonus. This means an increase of salary tbat Parliament never votes. We believe that if wo are to have an efficient Civil Service the servants must be well paid. An.d especially ia this necessary when additional duties are being yearly cast on I the Government. We hear it Baid thit tho Government resolved to increase no salaries beyond £500. We presume that Ministers thought that good men could be got for that Bum. Their praotice has, fortunately, been at variance with their expressed opinions. We need not point ont that it was the present Ministry tbat gave tbe President of the Bank of New Zealand £550 a year more than the Chief Justice. The Auditor of the Bank also got £500 more than the Auditor and Controller of the colony ! We are not finding fault with these salaries. •They may bo necessary, but we do say that if they are necessary in order to obtain able men, then the Civil Servants are miserably paid. Tho other alternative may be that leBS capable men are required for the Government service than for that of a Bank. That, no one acquainted with the duties of both services will say. We think there is need of a discussion on such snbjeots, and we hope some member of the House will get some explanation of the gross disparity in Balarieß that the Government has sanctioned.