ADDITIONAL COST.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 457, 19 May 1932, Page 9

ADDITIONAL COST.

Leap Year and the Salary Bill. Although the Austalian Government has had to add £30,942 to its annual salary bill on account of leap year, New Zealand civil servants obtain no benefit from the additional day. In fact, they work an extra day for exactly the same salary as in other years, as they are paid on an annual basis. It is believed by civil servants that the increased cost to Australia due to leap year is merely a book entry. In New Zealand, State employees on daily wages, such as second division railwaymen, construction men employed by the Public Works Department, members of the Police Force and casual employees certainly got paid for an additional day during the last financial year, but on the other hand, they worked the extra day, and, in the casa of the trading departments, the departments got the revenue from that day and any profits which were earned on it. Civil servants in New Zealand get few perquisites these days. Every item in the Departmental accounts affecting individual officers is closely watched. The only remaining concession of much value is the retiring leave. This is usually thfee months’ leave on full pay, and is granted when the officer concerned has completed forty years’ In the case of women employees leaving to get married, a proportion of their retiring leave, according to their length of service, is granted. School teachers leaving the service at the end of the school year are paid until the first of the following February, this period representing their annual leave. Nowadays, 'the transfer expenses of civil servants are carefully scrutinised. On receiving notice of transfer, a civil servant has to obtain three tenders for the cost of shifting his furniture. If the lowest of these is within the Departmental allowance, it is accepted. If it is above that, the maximum allowance is granted and the officer concerned has to make his own arrangements for the shifting of the remainder of his possessions.