POLICE PAY INCREASED

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 April 1937, Page 4

POLICE PAY INCREASED

SHORTER WORKING WEEK.

[I'EK PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINGTON", April 17. The Minister in charge of Police (the Hon. P. Fraser) announces that improvements in the pay ami hours of work of members of the Police Force have been agreed to by the Government. The question of reducing* the hours of work in accordance with the expressed policy of the Government has been receiving close attention, runs the statement. There were difficulties in the way of effecting any considerable reduction in the hours of work. The. Commissioner of Police' (Mr. D. .1. Cummings) had made certain recommendations, which involved the training of a large number of men to. enable the. working week to be reduced. After a close examination of the facts, it had been decided that the] hours of duty of members of the Police Force would be reduced from 56 hours a week, which had been in operation hitherto, to 4S as soon as a, sufficient number of men could be trained. To give effect to this pro-] posul, it would be necessary to call up 125 applicants and put them through a course of at least three months' train-, lug and instruction in law. This! would bo given at the Trentham camp,’ as the present accommodation at. \\ el-j lington was insufficient. ] ( As the Government had set a gen- ( . oral standard of 40 hours in the Pub-j lie Service, and as iu the departments] where the 40-hour week was not practicable for the time being the weekly l ( hours had been reduced to very near ( that number. It was only lair that ] the police should receive some addi- . tiouai pay to make up to them in.. iix'-'anr-'- for the inability to re- ; dm o the hours of duty at a time when ; hou»s generally had been reduced. It lu<d. therefore, been decided, said Mr. Fraser. t'» advance the pay of mem- i l?ers ot the foreo by 10/- a week. i When the 48-liour week for members t

of the Force had been established successfully, the question of further reducing the hours of duty would be given consideration. At that time it might be necessary to review the whole question of remuneration in relation to the reducing of hours and to the conditions then prevailing in the Public Service generally. The Minister has communicated the information to the president and general secretary of the New Zealand Police Association.