SUPERANNUATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13937, 24 June 1909, Page 3

SUPERANNUATION.

FOR HARBOUR BOARD KM■l'lAJlJilLis. To-morrow the Tiiuaru Harbour Boaru is to coilsiuer a ot gaat,' to its employees, uij.-> uctug, ju reganl to ,superannuation, jjy an -i( t passed 111 tUo Uying hours 01 tlie session of I'JUB jt v> as jnauo possioie lor two or more local bodies to combine jn the i urination of a lund whereby provision could be made lor their employees al'ter tliey are no longer aole to do then- accustomed worK. With a view to getting some particulars as to what the Tiiuaru Harbour Hoard has done or proposes to do iu the matter, a "llerald" re(Kjrter waited upon the secretary, Mr \V. J. Bardsley, and asked him the position. Air Bardsley said that the contributions and (kik-lils t.usVr tuo Authorities Superannuation Act were very similar to those provided in the i'uulic .Service superannuation. -vcl i.ihl t1.3 other Miperannuation Acts affecting the public service. The rates of contribution varied from 5 per cent., if tiie age did not exceed 30 years, to 10 per cent, if the age exceeded 50 years, and a retiring allowance was provided for, un to two-thirds of the annual salary. The funds were to be vested in the Public Trustee and the solvency of the fund was to be guaranteed by the local authority. The Act made no provision for the recognition of service prior to the establishment of a fund; local authorities, lould, however, .uppleinent the ktiring allowances out of ordinary revenue. Mr Bardsley said that when the Hill matte its appearance, it was not circulated among the local bodies interested ; none of them, so far as he had been able to ascertain, had been sent a copy by the Government for perusal, and the copy of the Bill received by the Harbour Board, had i nnio from the Harbours' Association. This was received on October 2nd with it request that it should be immediately considered by the secretary, who was afterwards to forward without delay, any suggestions for amendment he might have to make. He had complied with this request, his suggestions for amendment being sent to the Harbours .Association the 'Jay following that on which he received the Bill, and he noticed that some of these suggestions had been adopted by the Association. But the House rose finally for the session on October 10th, and without giving the local bodies interested any opportunity of considering the measure, or making suggestions, the House passed the Bill through its first, second, and third readings without the necessary amendments being made in it. The result was that the scheme provided for the employees of local bodies was not as liberal as the schemes provided for other workers, and it wns not satisfactory in its present form. Mr Bardsley said he had prepared a return l'or the Harbours Association showing the number of men in the employ of the Timaru Harbour Board, together with their ages, the kind of work done by each, the length of time each one had been in the service of the Board, etc. Similar data was being supplied by ail other Harbour Boards in the Dominion. and the whole

matter would be considered at the nest conference of Harbour Boards. i Asked how many employees of the Tirnaru Board would come under the scheme, Mr Bardslev said that there were ~ between thirty and forty, their ages ranging from 15 to 71 years. Mr Bardslev added that it was his intention, after the Board had considered the "matter to-morrow, to ask all the employees of the Board to meet him and go into the provisions of the Act and give their opinions upon it, together with any suggestions they may' have to make.