DEPARTMENTMAL PERQUISITES

Patea Mail, Volume XI, Issue 109, 26 September 1898, Page 2

DEPARTMENTMAL PERQUISITES

More than one important point was involved in the matter which seems to have occupied the attention of the House oi Representatives the greater part of yesterday afternoon, says the Lyttelton Times of 21st mst. The salaries of the Treasury officials were the particular items under consideration, and it appears that in some cases considerably larger amounts are paid to officials than appear as salaries in the Estimates, We do not mean to say that there is any intention to prevent the actual amount of salaries being knowu or any attempt to increase them surreptitiously. In most cases where one officer receives more than one salary, or occupies more than one position, the fact appears plainly enough in the Estimates. But, probably through an oversight, this prac tice has not beenjfollowed in all cases, and therefore there is some danger of members being misled, and failing to discover the actual amount paid to particulai officials. This seems to , have been the case yesterday with the salary of the Secretary to the Treasury. This gentle ■ man, in his regular capacity, receives £7OO a year, but inquiries as to an amount of £SO set down as the salary of the Registrar of Consols, brought to light the fact that this was a perquisite of the Secretary to the Treasury, whilst the sum of £2OO provided for the completion of the teles graphic code included a bonus of £IOO to be paid to the same gentleman. Perhaps £BSO is not too large a salary to attach to so important a position ; at any rate, there appears to have been no dispute in the House upon that point; but the public will probably agree with those members who expressed the opinion that if it is desirable that £BSO should be the salary of the chief official of the Treasury that sum should be set down for that purpose. With regard to the work that is performed jn consideration of the additional amounts, the Premier stated that the Secretary was devoting some of his spare time to the compilation of the new code. The work of the Registrar of Consols, we presume, fits in with the ordinary office routine. It is probable that this particular official is the best, he may be the only, man to Krhom the reconstruction of the telegraphic c.ode could be entrusted. It is however, most undesirable to encourage overtime work in public departments, particularly where the work done opt of ordinary hours is entirely foreign to the usual work of the Department. Where there is supplementary work of the kind to be done, if should, if possible, be given to a separate official. The large number of temporary clerks in the different departments are, we understand, by no means fully occupied, and many of these are men of high attainments and capacity. Consequently, it cannot be argued that competent persons cannot be found outside the department to do such work. If, however, the permanent officials are to have these additionl advantages we should prefer that those in receipt of the lower rather than those in receipt of the higher salaries should be given the opportunity to earn an increase. At the present time in this colony £7OO is an eminently satisfactory salary, and we should not regard it as a hardship if the recipient of such an amount were denied any opportunity to secure departmental perquisites