CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 76, 9 March 1931, Page 4

CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARIES

A SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE ADOPTED BY TEACHERS' INSTITUTE Considerable discussion ensued at the South Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Educational, institute annual meeting at Stratford oa,- Saturday regarding the proposed salary "cut," and was concluded by the adoption of the following resolution, .sponsored by Mr. L. J. Furrie...Stratford: . r, ..-. , "That in lieu of the TO per cent. cut the reduction be made by j/ay of a super-tax, salaries to be reviewed in conjunction with tne cost of living at intervals of six months." Discussion commenced on a motion by Mr. L. B. Galbraith: "That this meeting, while realising that Jthe present slump calls for sacrifices from all classes of the community, wishes to protest emphatically against the proposed 10 per cent.'salary,cut as it imposes an unfair share of the burden on one section of the community—the civil 'servants—who, though constituting only one-ninth ot the population of New Zealand, are being asked to carry one-third of the estimated Budget deficit; further, that this meeting asks that a definite time limit, say, one year, be fixed, after which the reductions will automitically be restored, and lastly, that superannuation allowances of retiring teachers'* be safeguarded." . •,■ ■

Speaking to his amendment*: Mr. Furrie said once a cut wasi made, it would be difficult to have salaries; restored to normal level. ~..". "We have no guarantee .that the. cost of living will fail," said , Mr, Furrie, "even though we -feel si»r,e that Mr. Forbes had every desirel ,that the cost of living would come down. There are many contributing factors that are far beyond the power of Jhe. Prime Minister to adjust." . r He had given the matter, careful thought, Mr. Furrie continued, and had come to the conclusion that if a super-tax, such as was outlined in jtifa .amendment, was adopted, there \srould be a much better chance of getting salaries restored when times became prosperous again. Further,, civil servants were only one section, of the ■wage-earning community and there' was no guarantee that the Arbitration Court would be given authority to effect a general reduction in, wages. At present it looked as if the i>ricai for primary industries had a rising tendency, but the country still had i-taj face the iniquitous agreement of sliding scale of wheat duties,; which. kept up the price of bread while ; sal« aries were being lowered. Mr. Furrie' understood that the reason .why. the wheat duties were not interfered withi was because an agreement existed. (At the same time, he pointed out; that a civil servant's salary contract was also an agreement and if the one could be broken so easily the othen could surely be revised. That is 4 said the speaker, if there an agreement at stake. r After futher discussion tiie amend* ment was adopted and its will be urged upon the Prime Minisi ter immediately. v ■ .;'