THE CIVIL SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14000, 4 March 1909, Page 5

THE CIVIL SERVICE.

WORK OF CLASSIFICATION. REPORT ALMOST COMPLETE. [nr TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Wednesday. The committee of the Civil Service Classification Board, which is preparing a scheme of classification and amended salaries for the whole of the service, with the exception of the Railway and . Post and Telegraph Departments, hopes to conclude its report by the end of the present week. A meeting of the Board will then be called to deal with the report. '. ;~-/• ," % The committee is at present working almost day and night upon its heavy task. In ' view of . the large number of officers who have had to be classified, it will be impossible to recommend increases of salary in every grade. In a minority of cases, indeed, it is expected that the committee will recommend a reduction of the salaries at present appertaining to certain The officers who are holding those positions now will not be affected. That is provided against by the Act, but thoir successors will encounter a fixed maximum below what is now being received. In other cases it is understood the committee will recommend that salaries be increased, but such will only be obtained by slow annual progression, as set forth in the Act. If all the expectations entertained by Civil servants, of obtaining increased salaries as the result of classification were to be granted, the additional expense would run into thousands of pounds. The committee, therefore, has had to keep in mind economy in framing its scheme.

If the Board should not agree with the committee's recommendations, they will probably be referred back to the committee., since no Board, it is suggested, could deal with so immense and varied a subject in full meeting. If the scheme brought forward is adopted by the Board, it will require to be approved by the Government, and gazetted, after which appeals will be received from those who think that they have been unjustly dealt with. When all the appeals have been determined, the revised scheme must be referred again to the Government, and finally approved by ..Parliament before coming into operation.