CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21112, 20 February 1932, Page 12

CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES.

Sir, —Your Wellington correspondent in an article on staff, retrenchments, published on Friday, states, inter alia, that "the service is already aware of the fact that its numbers will have to be considerably reduced in the near future." I can assure you definitely that members of the public service in general and the Post and Telegraph Department in particular are not aware of any such proposal. With regard to tho other portion of tho telegraphed report having reference to probable further salary cuts, 1 would like to inform your readers that it is most unlikely that such an imposition would be accepted with the same degree of comparitive quiescence as was the case when the Inst and previous salary cuts were inflicted. The plain truth of the matter is that the majority of our members are now on the bread and butler line. Any further reductions in our present low salaries will mean extreme hardship for many. Civil servants agree that- the Government should balance its Budget; but it cannot bo seriously argued that a salary cut is the only means by which this can be done. There are other ways, and the Post and Telegraph Employees' Association have some very definite proposals to make in this connection. These proposals are being submitted to the Prime Minister right away, and will be published in due course. S. Mather. Chairman, Auckland Sj>- 'ion, l'ost and Telegraph Employees' Association.