REDUCTION OF STAFFS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17873, 30 August 1921, Page 4

REDUCTION OF STAFFS.

GOVERNMENT'S POLICY.

RETIREMENTS ARRANGED. TEMPORARY CLERKS TO GO. [by telegraph.—own corses pon-dent. j WELLINGTON. Monday. The reduction of staffs in the Public Service is going \o affect more than the 100 men originally mentioned. The Public Service Commissioners and the departmental hetds are arranging for the retirement of most of the men who have completed their term of service, and are entitled to superannuation on a reasonable scale. It appears that the places of these j men will not be filled by men already in J the service, so that there will be a snb- . ; stantial saving. ! The number of temporary employees is | •also being reduced. Many temporarv •clerks have already been dispensed with | | and it is understood others are to go. I The Acting-Prime Minister, Sir Francis I Bell, in answer to a question on the snb- , ! ject' to-dav, said the matter was in the; ! hands of the Public Service Commissioner, j i The position was that some months ago j j when there appeared to be a danger of ! unemplovment on a serious scale the . I Government asked the Commissioner and I the departmental heads to suspend the ! dismissal of men from the Public Service j j until after the winter months. This re- , I quest resulted in the retention of some j i men whose services admittedly were not | really required, and in that way the Government had made a substantial contri- | bution towards the relieving of unemploy- j ment during a difficult period. " The special conditions have now been ;

removed as far as the Government is concerned," added the Acting-Prime Minister, " and the Public Service Commissioner is dealing with appointments and dismissals ; in the normal way, according to the actual i needs of the departments. It is common i knowledge that certain departments do not need such large staffs as they required . during the war years. Some of the de- j partraents, such as the Defence Department and the Imperial Supplies Depart- | ment, have made large reductions already. , There may be other reductions to be nade. ' bnt the matter is not really in the hands ;

of Ministers."