PUBLIC SERVICE STAFFS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20823, 16 March 1931, Page 11

PUBLIC SERVICE STAFFS.

TOTAL, OF 5!»,317 PERSONS.

SALARIES NEARLY £14,000,000

MINISTER'S STATEMENT.

A return presen-ed to the House of Representatives last, week by the Minister of Lands, Hon. K. A. Ransom, showed th;jt a general reduction of 10 per cent, in the salaries and wages of public servants would be equivalent to £1,,'591,697, whereas a graduated reduction, ranging from 5 to 15> per cent., would produce only £739,252. Ihe return, of which a summary was telegraphed, also contained details of tho numbers of public servants in various grades of salary and the total amount if their salaries. Mr Ransom said there were <13,696 permanent officers in the public service and their salaries amounted to £11,499,818. '1 lie temporary employees numbered 11,621. and taking £4 a week as an average, their salaries totalled £2,417.165. Details are shown as follows: Sajary. Officers. Salaries. Over £'looo . . . . 53 £74,222 £751 to £100(1 * • * . 308 2(55.765 £5Ol to £750 .. . . 1.201 751,462 £351 to £SOO . . . 4,72<i 1.9J7.2D1 £2Ol to £350 .. .. 20.581 7,101,987 £2OO and under . . 10,734 1.389.108 451,696 £11,499.818 Temporary employees 11,021 2.417.168 ■ Totals . . . . 55,317 £13.916.986 The Minister did not explain tho scope of the term "public servant," but the numbers quoted indicate that the return includes more than officers in the direct service of tho Government. According to the latest reports, there were in 1929-30, a total oli 7788 classified officei'3 (excluding administrative officers) under the Public Service Commissioner, 8945 permanent officers in the Post and Telegraph Department, and 13,908 in the Railways Department, a total of 30,641. Temporary mid casual employees numbered 2646 in the Post, Office and 5502 in the Railways Department. Teachers in public schools of all grades and staffs of education boards may account for tho balance of approximately 13,000. One of the sectional reports on the 1926 census contains a compilation comprehensive of all. persons in the employ of the State or local authorities and this included men on public works, including relief works. It gave a total of 45,405 employed by the general Government and of 35,470 in the employ of local authorities, including education ind hospital authorities, altogether 80,875. Another point requiring explanation in connection with the return presented to Parliament is whether all the persons in the total of 55,317 receive salaries and wages out of the ordinary revenue of tho Budget. If the total includes any whose salaries or wages are paid out of loan or other special accounts, the saving to the Budget, will be correspondingly less than the amount, of the official estimate.