P. AND T. SALARIES

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXII, Issue 57, 5 May 1924, Page 7

P. AND T. SALARIES

HIGHER COST OF LIVING.

Per Press Association

Wellington. May :i

Lengthy correspondence which has passed between the Postmaster-Gen-eral and the secretary of the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Oflicers' Association has been published. In a letter to the Association the Minister says: "I understood from what was said by your president and yourself that because the cost of living is now 60 per cent, above what it wa s in 1914, your scales were drawn up so as to provide for a 60 per cent, increase over the salaries paid in that year. 1 desire to draw your attention to the followingtable: —

EFFECT OF INCREASE

"In a statement which I made to your association several days ago I endeavoured to show what the effect of your proposals would be, and 1 also stated that their adoption would involve the expenditure for the current financial year of approximately £450,000 The above table shows that your proposals involve an average increase of SO per cent, over most of the salaries paid to the rank and file in 1914. and I am at a loss to understand why such an increase is claimed. You have stated that the adjustment committee of 1919 lan. it dow n that the piiblic service basic wage for 1914 was £165 per annum. It might be of interest to you to know that the adjustment committee was not appointed until 1922, and that it did not at any time fix a basic. salary for 1.914 so far es 1 am aware. "The salary of £lGo was not at anv time accepted by the Post and Telegraph Department as a basic salary, "in 1914 the minimum salary p"id to a married officer or to a widower with a child or children under 14 years of age was £l3O, and it was not until 1919 that the minimum salary for a married officer was increased t 0 £IBO. The minimum at present is £209 15s, which is 61 per cent, above that paid in 1914." After goinc into considerable detail regarding the minimum and maximum salaries, the Minister continues: "I note that it is the feeling of your organisation that the Government should give a lead to all citizens in the matter of salaries and the general treatment of State employees. As I informed you recently, the schedules proposed by the Government were drawn \ip to provide for salaries which compared favourably with those received by clerks and others in outside employment, and I know of no reason why one section of employees in the Dominion should be granted very much larger increases of salary than are likely to be granted to any other section. To sum up briefly, let me say that it is my personal opinion that if the salaries and wages of all employees throughout tha Dominion were brought up to the standard which you have fixed upon for the officers of the Post and Telegraph Department, the cost of living; would increase to such an extent that no one would be any better off than he

is now. "I n conclusion, T desire to refer to the last paragraph of your letter, in which you protest against the 'distortion of the facts,' and to sa v that on a previous occasion, when your president alleged that I 'side-step-n'i/ig,' T indicated that T wished to de <a>? w,ln y° ur association in a perfect 'ly fair a7lfl opetl WMy ' :>ml that circu instances over which T had no oontn "»f prevented an earlier delivery of tli © expected schedules. The readines"« witn which y° Ul " association accuses r ' of 'side-step-una' and Mistortfon of f:K ' ts ' v " nmt improv ? the c<T«e f< v the ni °" v ° u r€ P res6nt < and I would' wefer if von would observe the ord v.'ary courtes.es in any future coiomun'»cntiong to me, '

Mes sage Boys. PercentSalary age pr oposed i: ncrease 1914 by over : Salary. £ 31 Assn. £ 1914 First year 65 109 Second year .. 40 70 75 Exchange Hands. First year 40 SO 100 Second year .! 50 100 100 Third year .... 60 120 100 Fourth year .. 70 140 100 Fifth year .. SO 160 100 LVjxlLh year .. 90 — — Seventh year .. 100 — — General Divh don R: Officers ink and File First year 50 SO GO Second year .. 60 100 PC Third year 70 120 71 Fourth year .. 80 140 Y5 Fifth year ... 90 160 77 Sixith year .. 100 200 100 Seventh year .. 110 240 US Eighth year .. 120 275 129 Ninth year .. . 130 — _. Tenth year ... 140 — — u Eleventh year 150 * — — Twelfth year 160 — .... Thirteenth year 170 — Fourteenth year 180 — — Clerical Divis jion Rank and File Officers. First year .. 50 85 70 Second year .. e r > 110 69 Third year . . 80 135 CS Fourth year .. 95 160 68 Fifth year .. 110 185 68 Sixth year .. 120 235 ?5 Seventh year .. 135 290 114 Eighth year .. 150 340 128 Ninth year .. 165 — Tenth year .. ISO — Eleventh year 190 —■ Twelfth year . . 200 — Thirteenth year 210 — ~" Fourteenth year 220 — " ■