“ONLY HALF THE TRUTH”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23321, 13 October 1937, Page 7

“ONLY HALF THE TRUTH”

RESTORATION OF SALARY CUTS POSITION OF CIVIL SERVANTS (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, Oct. 11. Addressing the Public Service Association conference the president, Mr T. Pound, thanked the Government for what it had already done for the Public Service. It was true the Government had restored the salary cuts, he said, but it seemed that that was only half the truth because although nominally salaries were the same now as before the depression the civil servants were not receiving the same money as formerly. There was deducted the fid in’the £ employment tax and the increase in income tax had hit the civil servants probably as hard as any other class in the community, if not harder. It affected the middle-salaried class in which category the civil servants fell. The third, and not the least important factor, was the increase in the cost of living. It was true that the cost of living had not risen to that point over the pre-war standard that it did in 1919, but it looked as if it would rise to that point. “ I am not mentioning these matters by way of complaint,” Mr Pound said, “ but they are cold, hard facts, and as such make us hopeful that so far as re-classification is concerned we may get, if not the 1919 scale, at least something equal to it.” The Attorney-general (Mr H. G. R. Mason) said the Government desired the association to be strong and representative. It would give the most earnest and careful consideration to the representations and observations of the conference.