THE BILL

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 14, 18 January 1922, Page 7

THE BILL

SOME FURTHER PARTICULARS.

The essential features of the proposals in the Bill lire'covered by Mr. Massey's statement; but: there are some interesting details. ■. . ' .. The preamble recites' that increases were made to all -public servant* and to persons employed by education' authorities because of the war with Germany and the 'increase in the cost of living, and as I*he state of war no .longer exists and the cost of living has decreased and is likely to decrease' still further, it is | essential in the public interest that.the' increases should be diminished. | , The Bill v is-, to apply to all Ministers of the Cfown, Speakers, and iGhairmen of the Parliament, members of Parliament, and Parliamentary Vofficers,, «se Controller and Auditor-General, Winbers of the; Board of Trade, Public' Service Commissioners,-) all temporary and permanent employees in the Public Service-, all Railway Department employees, and all oth«r persons in receipt of payment from the" Consolidated Jund^ to whom the Act -TOay be applied by- the Minister of Finance.. The only exceptions are: The Governor-General, Judges of the Supreme Court and Court ,of Arbitration, the High . Commissioner^ and any person employed by the Gov--eraunent or any other- authority' for a specific term pursuant to a contract made out /in New Zealand, any . person remunerated by fees'or.,commission,: and any', person in the classes to whom the Act applies who is on leave of absence prior to retirement. '■• ■ TEACHERS' SALAKEES. ■'■ The reduction in the salaries of all classes of the teachers is to'be,'from Ist January, thirty per cent, of the aggregate annual rate of increases made by the 1920 grant. This applies to training college students end all who' benefited by the giant. Teachers are affected by1 the procedure" (set out below) for ascertaining the reduction to be made in April and July,' but it is provided that the aggregate reduction in- April shall not exeed £60,000' and in. July £40,000;, : HOURLY PAY. ' Where daily or hourly..' pay exceeds £320 per annum.the/rate of reduction of Is a day is to be increased by fourpence a day. " .' ' „. . ' ' Overtime /rates which, are .fixed !,withi reference to the. ordinary, rates of pay are to refer to the 'reduced rate fronr Ist January. 7 -. •. ■' -■ -. .■';. .';• • CONSULTING THE COURT; ' . The method of ascertaining the reductions to be made in April and July are. 'specially' ;3et out. • The of Finance may gazette reductions to apply to the Civil Service if he' considers fur-^ ther reduction of the public expenditure necessary in the,public interest. ■ To'de- ; termine thu rate' of reduction, if any, the Judge of the Arbitration Court shall at. the request of the Minister proceed to; ascertain' the ratio between the cost of living as aii 28th February and 31st May, 1922y and 31st March, 1920, and - the Minister shall -v.take this finding into consideration, and.^shall as far as practicable fix the rates of reduction so ,that the proportion between the'rate of re-,; duction and the rate of special increase in' April, 1920, shall not exceed the proportion between the rate of reduf^ion in the cost of living and the'standard'cost of living on' 31st, March, 1920. 'The Minister may fix later dates for the re-1 ductions. . .. \ ■ Graduated re'duction*^ are not to operated as to reduce the salary of an officer below; that of a subordinate. '". Grants made to educational governing authoritie^-for payment of salaries vare to be reduced in accordance with the reductions applying to the staffs they employ. • SUPERANNUATION RIGHTS. y Contributors to superannuation funds are given the right to elect to contribute at the old salary rate. Persons entitled to compensation on -retirement and not superannuation are not to have' their retiring allowances reduced by the Act. • : ■.-' ."' Statutoiy scales of salaries are not affected by the Act, and persons entitled to increments are to receive them as additions to their salaries. ' • V