Manawatu Evening Standard. Circulation, 3,300 Copies Daily. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26, 1906. A WELCOME MEASURE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8197, 26 September 1906, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. Circulation, 3,300 Copies Daily. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26, 1906. A WELCOME MEASURE.

The Government has fulfilled its promise. to introduce a Bill providing for superannuation for the whole of the public service, and such a measure is now before the House. It is very desirable that some provision of this kind should be made for those who are employed by the colony. For one thing the rates of remuneration are not on a princely scale, and the chances of the rank and file ot rising to the higher paid offices are necessarily limited. Further, since the public services are all in the hands of the Government there is an absence of opportunity for improving their positions such as coaie to those engaged in commercial or industrial pursuits. It is only right then that civil servants should have some encouragement to prepare for the day when they will no longer be able to carry out the duties of their offices. With this end m view the Government has introduced the Civil Service Superannuacion Bill. The Bill applies to the High Commissioner's Office, the legis lative branch, and every department of the Government, except the Railways Department, the Police Department, and so much of the Education Department as is included in the Teachers' Super annuation Act, 1905. A fund is to be established, maie up of contributions from members, all moneys accruing from fines in the Civil Service, and interest; this fund to be reinforced from the Con-olidated Fund, should this at any time be necessary. Any Civil servant at present employed may become and any persons entering the Service after the Act comes into force must become contributors to the fund, and shall contribute at the following rate 5 per cent, if the contributor's age is not more than forty years; 6 per cent if the age is between forty and forty-five ; 7 per cent if the age is between forty-five and fifty ; a,nd 10 per cent if the age exceeds fifty years. The fund is to be administered by a board representing those concerned.

Every male contributor whose length, of service is not 'ess than forty years, or whose age is not less than sixty years, may retire from the Civil Service on the expiration of three months notice, and shall then receive a retiring allowance at the rate of onesixtieth part of his annual rate of P a y fo„r each year of service, the total allowance not to exceed two-thirds of the annual rate of pay. In the case of female contributors the allowance is payable providing that the length of service is not less than thirty years and the age not less than, fifty Contributors retiring as medically unfit are 10 be entitled to a similar allowance, and a contributor voluntarily retiring or dismissed before superan-, nuation is due is to be entitled- to a refund of the moneys paid m. If a contributor dies before retiringi his representative shall receive the; whole sum he has paid in, provided that if a wife or children are left by the eon-

tributor they may receive either a lump payment or an allowance of £18 per annum for the wite and as per week for each, child until the age of fourteen is reached. A ballot is to be taken of contributors to the Police Provident Fund, and if a majority approve, that

fund, is to be merged in the general fund. The Bill contains various other provisions designed to malie the proposals more elastic and to deal with, contingencies that may arise.