COST OF LIVING

Southland Times, Issue 18810, 1 May 1920, Page 5

COST OF LIVING

SALARIES OF PUBLIC SERVANTS. A GENERAL DEMAND. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, April 30. Interviewed to-day, Mr F. W. Millar, general secretary of the New Zealand Public Service Association, which comprises all Government departments (including the police force) other than the Post Office and Railways Departments, made a statement in regard to the salary claims of members of the public service which his organisation embraces. “We are slightly better off,” he said, “than the Post and Telegraph employees, because we have actually succeeded in interviewing the Prime Minister, if that be any satisfaction, but we have not so far secured any result which we consider common justice merits in regard to a reasonable increase in our existing salary scale to meet the still mounting living cost. An adequate cost of living increase is, however, a paramount need, and, shortly, our claim is that we receive a 62 per cent, increase on the pre-war basic wage, which was assessed by the Public Service Commissioner when regrading our service on April 1, 1919, at £165 per annum. The percentage of increase quoted is that which the Government announced through the Board of Trade as the cost of living increase. In both cases then, we are taking the Government’s own figures, and if our claims' are granted the increase in the salaries attached to the positions of all adult officers will be £lO2 per annum, whether such positions are carrying salaries of £IOOO per annum or only £2OO per annum. We recognise that in the event of the cost of Living decreasing our salaries should be readjusted accordingly, and we have given our undertaking as an organisation to the Prime Minister that we are prepared to accept a reasonable decrease on any improvement made in our present, salaries over and above our existing classified salaries.” Here Mr Millar explained that the service was quite content to leave it to the Public Service Commissioner to assess the value of the specific positions in the public, service, as each individual had the right, if dissatisfied with any salary, decision, to have his position reviewed by an independent tribunal in the Public. Service Board of Appeal, but the Public Service Commissioner was bound by the salary scale introduced in April, 1919, which provided in cases of the lower-salaried officers for an improvement in the scale hitherto existing. “The service is utterly dissatisfied with the Government’s failure to recognise the position, and it is not going to rest until relief is granted. Throughout the Premier and other Cabinet members have maintained that what one section of the service ia granted the others must be. As a consequence it was decided to extend to us as from January 1, 1920, the war bonus recommended by Mr Justice Stringer for the railway employees, and our dissatisfaction is not less than theirs. To make matters worse, the war bonus stated to have been promised to the Post and Telegraph employees by Sir Joseph Ward, which must have been extended to us also, has not loomed large on the Cabinet horizon since the general elections. “Summarised, our position is this; — Salary per annum. £409 over to £4OO. to £SOO. £SOO £ £ £ Average increase in cost of living since April 1, 1919 25 25 25 Increase in pay granted i ’<y>n 15 15 Nil moment, in spite of the general prosperity, many of our lesser-paid members have been compelled to reduce their pre-war standard of living to enable them to keep from running too deeply into debt, and there is considerable bitterness at the failure of the Government in recognise the position and to grant the relief which it has assisted in securing for private employees who have been engaged in the same struggle. We are at present pressing merely for such increases as will place public se-rs ants salaries on (be pre-war purchasing basis."