PUBLIC SERVICE

Southland Times, Issue 20613, 11 October 1928, Page 11

PUBLIC SERVICE

COMMISSIONER’S ANNUAL REPORT. PRESENTED TO PARLIAMENT. (Special to the Times.) Wellington, October 9. “While the practice of granting seniority or double increments affords encouragement to an officer to pass an examination, experience has shown that the practice is not altogether a satisfactory one,” says the Public Service Commissioner, Mr P. Verschaffelt, in his annual report presented to Parliament to-day. “It is at present under consideration that the granting of seniority or double increments for the passing of examinations should be done away with and instead a provision be made to grant a payment, in addition to salary, to officers who are considered to be of outstanding merit and ability, the passing of the examinations referred to, to be taken into consideration in deciding the question of merit and ability.” Mr Vershaffelt also makes some observations concerning increases in salary in the service. He says that recognition of an officer’s increase in value arising from his experience is provided through a system of annual increments in accordance with the salary scales provided the granting of such increments within a class is practically automatic, subject only to the condition that the offier’s work and conduct are satisfactory, and provision is contained in the Public Service Act that the head of a Department may withhold the increment of an officer where he considers such a course warranted. Mr Vershaffelt is of opinion, however, particularly in regard to junior officers, that the automatic provision should be discontinued and instead that an increment should not be granted unless a special report has been furnished on the officer by his local controlling officer or the head of the department that the granting of an increment is fully justified by the irregularity of his attendance and the careful, diligent and efficient manner in which he is performing his duties. An officer who is of outstanding merit and ability and of good and diligent conduct and who meritoriously performs duties of a character not usually performed by an officer of his status, may be granted an increment in excess of that to which he would be entitled under the scale. This provision is fully availed of. Special in- | crements are granted only after full in- ( rest-gation and not until the Commissioner is satisfied that the additional increments are fully justified. The report also states that one of the most important matters affecting the Public Service since the last report, is the amendment to the Public Service Act, 1912, by the Public Service Amendment Act, 1927. The main provisions of the Amending Act were in the direction of securing greater uniformity in the administration of the various departments of the state service including those not under the Public Service Act, particularly in regard to promotions and transfers within the service and matters relating to the constitution in appeal boards find rights of appeal of officers. It is confidently expected that the Amending Act will facilitate the administration of the Public Service particularly in regard to the matter of promotions, appeals by officers and complaints and charges against officers. For some time past the rule following in respect of retirements is that an officer with 40 years’ service shall on reaching 60 years of age be retired and this practice is being continued except where there are special reasons why the services of an officer should be retained.