PAY IN CIVIL SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20235, 20 April 1929, Page 12

PAY IN CIVIL SERVICE.

PLEA TO RESTORE "CUTS>

GOVERNMENT NON-COMMITTAL.

TAXATION TO BE ADJUSTED.

[r.y TELEGRAPH.-—OWN CORRESPONDENT. 1 WELLINGTON, Friday. Representations were made to tho Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, some weeks ago by the executive of the Public Service Association on the cost of living, tho restoration of salary "cuts" and other matters. An official report of tho proceedings supplied to the association is published in the current issue of tho Public Service Journal. In replying to the deputation the Prime Minister said that • before he became head of tho Government tho estimated cost of restoring the salary "cuts" had been unauthefritatively represented to him as £2,000,000, but the figures had only been shown to him unofficially. If anything approaching that amount a year had to be paid it would stop tho Government from doing anything, because they could not pay it. He could not ascertain definitely until the end of tho financial year what the liabilities were.

The only safe course, from the Government's point of view, was to appoint a committee of experienced officers to take the whole of the figures separately and let the Government find out where they were and what they could do. Ho had promised personally that he would investigate the matter and he wanted to sec whether it could be done. He could not give an immediate answer to their representations; the matter could not bo approached piecemeal. . lie did not see how he could meet the position in any way other than the way ho had suggested—the setting up of a committee to consider all the representations. As soon as he was; in a position to do so he would bo glad to meet the association again and take them into his confidence. The Prime Minister said ho agreed with all that had been said about the cost of living. There must be an adjustment of taxation in New Zealand. Some of tho people were over-taxed and some were not taxed nearly enough. In making the necessary alterations there would be no giving away of revenue for the sake of popularity. He was glad to be able to say lie believed the country would be free to a very large extent from unemployment.

The Public Service Journal states the report supplied to the association ended as above, but although they are rot included therein the final words of the Prime Minister were actually: "If the economic condition of tho country continues as it is I believe we can do something."