CIVIL SERVICE ALLOWANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 February 1931, Page 6

CIVIL SERVICE ALLOWANCES.

Quite Oj jitir was caused a little while ago by tlie announcement that the Public Service Commissioner had placed a ban upon the drinking of ffibniihg and afternoon tea in Government offices. Some of the organisations of the State’s employees were at pains to impress upon the taxpayers the truth that their members never had wasted the country’s time in pernicious dalliance over the teacups, and the public, no doubt, accepted the assurance, though a little good-humoured fun may have been poked at the most indignant of the public servants. The incident is called to mind, curiously enough, by a notice appearing in last week’s official Gazette over the signature of the Public Service Commissioner and two rather similar notices for which the Acting Clerk of the Executive Council assumes the responsibility. The purpose of the first notice is to amend the regulations Under the Public Service Act by the addition of a sub-clause, which provides that “where an officer travelling by sea is provided with sleeping accommodation, and the journey by sea does not occupy more than twenty-four hours, the officer is required to reduce his claim for travelling allowance by one-fourth of one day’s scale rate.” Moreover, if “special accommodation” is used the “additional cost above that of ordinary accommodation” must be ‘borne by the officer. The inference is that a day’s travelling al-

Ipwance covers four iterns 4 bed, break fast, luncheon and dinner—and the authorities evidently do not propose to pay an allowance for a bed as well as the portion of the fare that must be presumed to cover it. Most people will think that idea quite sound, but will also wonder whether and' for how long the departments ha ve been paying twice over. The second notice refers to railway' employees in Division 1 and makes the same stipulation as to the deduc tion of one-fourth of a days allowance, including berths in sleeping-cars with those in ships. Under the third notice the Post and Telegraph Department is dealt with, the new regulation being almost identical with that promulgated by the commissioner. Bitt a special proviso is added: “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in paragraph 6 of this regulation, any officer specially authorised by the Permanent Head shall be entitled to claim the cost of a bei th in a deck cabin in addition to the authorised travelling-allowance.” And yet the representatives of Postal employees have always spoken of theirs as the Cinderella of the departments. Apparently the postal officers, or at any rate such of them as are favoured by the head of the department, are really very superior people—the one privileged class in the Civil Service. Probably the department does not pay for a great many deck cabips on the WellingtonLyttelton ferry in the course of a twelve-month, but in these times should it pay for any? It would be more in keeping with the Government’s economy policy °if the Executive Council decreed that the accommodation which has to satisfy most of the taxpayers is good enough for even the mighty officials whose salaries they have to provide.