SPARE TIME WORK BY PUBLIC SERVANTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 5 December 1940, Page 6

SPARE TIME WORK BY PUBLIC SERVANTS

PRIME MINISTER’S EXPLANATION COMMISSIONER’S RECENT CIRCULAR [From Our Own Parliamentary Reporter] WELLINGTON. This Day. An assurance that the Public Service Commissioner would not interfere in cases where work was done by a Public Servant outside the service and was of a voluntary and public nature was given by the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) in the House ol li esentatives yesterday afternoon, ui.en referring to criticism of a recent circular issued by the Public Service Commissioner. The question was raised by Mr F. W. Schramm (Government, Auckland East) who quoted the circular, which lays it down as an inviolable rule that no employee in the Public Service under the control of the Uublic Service Commissioner is to engage in any employment whatsoever, whether with or without reward, other than in connection with his or her office under the Crown. Mr Schramm asked if he could get an undertaking from the Prime Minister that, if that rule meant that no one could become a secretary of a bowling club or a Bible class, or branch of a political organisation, would he see that the rule was amended and restore to the Public Service the political and civil rights that the Government had given them. The Prime Minister said that no one was more surprised than himself at the interpretation placed upon the circular. because it had been a rule In the Public Service for years and years that, nobody, without the consent o*f the Public Service Commissioner, could accept employment outside the service in addition to his ordinary employment. He referred to cases where an officer of the Land and Income Tax Department might be keeping books for someone else and where architects in the Public Works Department might fct doin? work for other architects. That would he wrong, he said Mr J. A. Lee (Democratic Labour, Grey Lynn) : Has one to get permission to become secretary of a church organisation? Mr Fraser; That has no bearing on the matter at all. There were people. continued Mr Fraser connected with all kinds of organisations who got some small remuneration for work that, was in essence v luntarv work. They might be connected with bowling clubs, lodges, branches of political parties, or poorly endowed religious bodies. In cases like that the Public Service Commissioner had already indicated that there would be no interference—for voluntary work and work of a public nature there was no intention of interfering If there was any doubt about the matter another circular would be sent out. He had discussed the matter with the Pub. lie Service Commissioner ano nothing was further from his mind