CIVIL SERVANTS.

Grey River Argus, 27 June 1922, Page 3

CIVIL SERVANTS.

THE SECOND CUT. LABOUR MEMEBRS’ VIEWS. CHRISTCHURCH, June 26. Christchurch Labour members of Parliament, in the City Council Chambers met representatives of Civil Servants am! gave their views on the threatened cut in salaries. Air K. J. Howard, ALP. presided, ami the other members present were Air J. Ale Combs and Air D. G. Sullivan. Seventeen representatives attended. The chairnlan said that the Labour uit'mbers who did not hear what Civil Servants had to say to the members of Parliament Committee on Wednesday w ishi'il to meet I lie repcseiitativces and exchange views. Mr P. Jones (president of the Canterbury Branch of the Public Service Association) said that those present attended as members of the Civil Service, at the invitation of the Labour members. T'bey did not go as a deputation to the Labour members.. QUESTION OF LEGALITY. Air McComb 4 said that the last bonus which was given to the Civil Servants was on the* basis of cost of living increase ns at March, 1920, when the increase in the cost of living for *he food groups was 62 per cent, ami the average, increase for all groups was 63 per cent. The cost of living for the food groups subsequently went to 79 per cent, while the average increase for all groups wont to S 5 per cent, but the Civil Servants received no further increases, although there was a distinct promise made by Mr Massey that fur i>\f'iv 10 per <’ent decrease there

would be further adjustments ot thebonuses. The latest computation for the food groups, representing only onethird of the total cost of living budget was 44 per cent, while Hie latest computation for ail groups, representini; tin' v.hule cst of living, was 62 per cent., and the Arbitration Court’s eoniputnlion on a six-monthly averag. was 67 per eent. On the basis of the Court’s latest .March computation the iirst cut in the salaries of the Civil Servants was absolutely unjustified, because although ’.lm cost of living had eent, it was still 4 per eent. signer than the cost of living figures for all groups in March. 1920. when th,, final Tonus was granted to Civil Servants. 'l'iie le"ishi I i’.n us originally drafted squired the Jinlge of the Arbitration Court, lor tile purposes of the second ed *o compute the reduction in the eos- of living as from -March, 1920, for the food groups only. This would have hail the effect of requiring the court igm.re the fact of the first eut jind make its calcnlat ions again as from Marell, 1920. for the second mit—two cuts in wages for one and the same drop in the cost of living. He had a - t ,. nll , t ed to substitute. --All Croups and as the resun of criticism, the Government substituted the words “st-md-ird cost of living.” The Govm nn ent also adopted an amendment moved by him requiring the Court, when computing further cost of hvin„ and v.a"e reductions, to take into consideration reductions in rennmeration ■Jrcadv made under the Act. As the T-St <ut, Which dated back to January of this -/ear, was not warranted bj th. v.-.1.-ii,;,, in til.- t’.isi of being, and would not be warranted even -.--la> .i ns :he Judge was required to take /gni/n'.-e of the first ent. there wns s !>’•' cham c <•! a second cut in L'lv/unless the .budge interpreted Mw ><,.(,st . f living” ami ‘•standard cost‘ of living- 1 as covering food <> • >ui>s only, ami loft out- rent, iuoi, liMd 1 clothing and miscellaneous. The Xie -‘.Lt of living” in the Arbie . i ~.i been made

. ixn-onthlv moving basis. For T N ”"?' hi- had no hesitation in . . •y- . unless the Got rn ' domed the Judge’s findings on the cos uf living, there would be no stcoi cut in July, because the figures jiva.b able in Julv would not even ■ th.'- amount‘of the first ent. JI hat the first cut was not only unjustitiabie. bu unneeessarv, from the point of view uf the public finances, was shown by i ~ fm-t that of the £C>.132.i)(10 carried over at the beginning of last financia a-* i)i‘() uf which was in cash, /UtN ■rnmeiit hpd only £339(100 up to ,ast ' rhal over £5,750,000 in hand to start this vour with. The saving >n salaries amt -, .. s the result of the hrst cut up ■ j ...Vrn '.. -,s i;-.s Av. ifiOOOO whereas the remission in lanit income v,c -O wealthv landowners and incomei 'y payers for the same period was £ 9 7D Hi hi. . ■ -i tn addition to these general consul erations, covering all tranche of the public service, there were special eon siderations affecting each bra “ C due an ~,,v ~v.u. ii. for instance were due an , i / <l dav when the war increase oi >/ '"The basic wage for the railways now NtAnereasNnhhe N't' of living. The men in the post mid telegraph service were in mi even ';O r3P position than those m the rrnluav « ' 1 . i 11... )>•'< <• \va< T e in the vice, because tin- nasi. ''-m .r,.ner: 1 division has only u.o I» ■■ ’ whereas under the Arbitration Court s nw-irds unskilled workers were now receiving 1/91 per hour, or 14/7 per din • No employer had a right to reduce Jnges offer engaging a worker who loid fc.i- some time been at vvoik to him. That was what the Government w s'doing The. Government cut wages mi January 1. or a month before the Bill authorising a cut was passed, l ie Government refused to use the tegu a tions which that Bill provided tor hardship cases. It was guilty of a serious breach of laith. _ Mr Sullivan agreed Air Ale Combs h.il fairly put the vise. The Press am farmers’ unions had geneiallv 11C 1< i „„ the wage .-ills. The public faded to realise the injustice done; the workers all over were up against it. He said many farmers had made great profits by selling their farms at high war prices, : nd now the farmers’ unions passed motions urging reduced salaries. “The Government,' ’ he added, “has no more moral .justification to impose a tax of £2,000,000 a year on 50,000 Civil Servants —for that s what it is doing—thai’i it has to impose it on 50,000 shopkeepers or :>O,OOO persons in'any other class of the community.” TP TTTF. fiPCONP CUT EVEXTT’ATFS. Ml- J. Stewart (Public Service Assn ci-tion). nfler thanking the members for expressing their views, said: ‘‘Me realise, as Mi' Sullivan said, that we are up against it. and that, there is ■ very strong opposition against us; it is not organised, but it’s there my time it's wanted. If the second cut eventuates, it will be necessary for us

to keep together still further, and, bv propaganda or other means, to raise our salaries.” Air W. Moyle (combined railway organisations) endorsed Mr Stuart s remarks, and s; id that Civil Servants felt vt'ry thankful to Air McCombs for what he hail done when reductions were urged in Parliament last session. WELLINGTON. June 25. The Public Service Association’s conference has concluded. Among the numerous resolutions passed were the following:— That the Superannuation Act should be amended to provide that any contributor whose salary is reduced through no f: nil of his own should be allowed to contribute and have his retiring allowance computed at the higher rate. That any member of the military branch completed to retire through no fault of his own should have the right Io employmeift in some other department if available. That the Workers’ Educational Assocr tion be strongly supported and granted £5O per annum. That all officers, including Public Service Commissioners, should be compulsorily retired after 40 years’ service, or at the age of Go. That the Public Service Commissioner should be given power to amend the ! second schedule of the Act to do away with the anomalies in the salaries of the clerical and professional divisions. That officers, who were tempor: ry but became permanent, should be allowed to make up their superannuation payments as from June 30, 1908. That widows’ pensions should be increased, and that the limitation of pensions to £3OO should be increased. That either the limit of salary to £4OO should be removed or else all public servants should be brought within the scope of the Workers’ Compensation Act. That a commission of expiLts should examine the present system ¥f public accounts and report whether itVneludes adequate safeguards against fiwid. That holidays on saints' be restored or extra annual leave ed in lieu thereof, \