THE PUBLIC SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23351, 17 November 1937, Page 9

THE PUBLIC SERVICE

RECLASSIFICATION COMPLETED CONTROL BY COMMISSIONERS COMPARATIVELY SMALL NUMBER (From Our Parliamentary Reporter' WELLINGTON, Nov. 16. " The reclassification of the public service is just about completed, and will be available for the Govern ment's decision in the very near future." said the Prime Minister (Mr M J. Savage) during considera tion of the Estimates of the Public Service Commissioners' department in the House of Representatives today. This statement was made in reply to an inquiry by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr A. Hamilton), who also asked what sections of the public service were actually under the control of the Public Service Commissioners A great many people thought the whole of the service was under their control, but the Post and Telegraph, the Railways and Defence Departments were outside their jurisdiction, so that possibly it was not a large proportion of the service that they controlled.

"The figures are not available at the moment," Mr Savage said, " but the Police Department, as well as those mentioned by the Leader of the Opposition, are not covered by the commissioners, and I think he is right in suggesting that a comparatively small number of those engaged in the public service come under their control. With regard to reclassification and the question of salaries, however, the departments are united in trying to get uniformity throughout the service."

The Government was not putting anyone off in the public service, the Prime Minister added. Instead, it was putting them on, for the Government's job was to fit the people of New Zealand into the public service and other services in the Dominion. It was his experience that most people wanted to get into the public service, but they could not all be there. Although the Government did not wish to discourage anyone who had the necessary qualifications, it should be recognised that there must be a limit somewhere. The list of applicants for positions under the Public Service Commissioners was now practically exhausted, so that there seemed to be no reason why persons who wanted to join the service should not make application to do so.