PUBLIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1013, 31 July 1891, Page 35

PUBLIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION.

The Secretary of the Local Committee for the Wellington district has furnished ns with an abstract of the proceedings of five meetings held by them since their election in April last. The functions of this body, together with similar bodies in the other sixteen postal districts, which constitute the districts of the various Local Commitees are to deal with all matters of local concern, and to make suggestions to the Council of the Association. The principal business transacted has been the consideration of the general proposals by the Council of the Association to the Government in connection with the classification of the service, and the consideration of the details of the Civil Service Bill now before the House. Correspondence submitted to the Committee shows that the Government has been approached by the Conncil on the matter of the recent retrenchments, and has replied that it cannot consent to the question a 3 to granting relief to the retrenched officers being laid before Parliament, as suggested by the Council, but that any officer who feels aggrieved could petition Parliament in the usual way. If any officer is petitioning Parliament, the Committee has decided that it would be prepared to receive and consider the petition with a view of affording such support as might be deemed advisable. Numbers of suggestions have, from time to time been forwarded to the Council, the most important of which are (1) the placing of the service under the control of a non-political Board, on the same lines as that adopted by the Colony of Victoria, which is considered of pararhount importance. Other local committees have also moved in a similar direction; (2) that officers already in the service should, in the three lower divisions, participate in the annual increments proposed to be attached to these olasses, the new Civil Service Bill providing only for these increases to officers appointed after the passing of the Bill ; (3) that annual increases should appertain to all divisions of the service, except in cases of neglect of duty, &c. ; (4) that the door should not be opened to the appointment of persons to the service except in the manner in force at present, the new Bill proposing to give power to appoiat persons “of known ability” without their being required to pass the usual examination and enter as cadets, a power which, it is thought, might be abased ; 5 that temporary officers might, as at present, be eligible for permanent appointment ; 6 the excision of the clauses relating to fines at the discretion of the head of the Department ; 7 that the claase providing for payment of fees on examination for promotions be not included in the Bill ; S that in classifying any officer whose salary is above the maximum of a class, but below the minimum of the next higher class, such officer should be classed at the bottom of the higher class ; 9 that it is advisable that the General Council should circulate among officers such information as to its proceedings as may be deemed ex;j pedient.