POST AND TELEGRAPH CLASSIFICATION BOARD (REPORT OF THE).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1892 Session I, F-06

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1892. NEW ZEALAND.

POST AND TELEGRAPH CLASSIFICATION BOARD (REPORT OF THE).

Laid on the Table by the Hon. Mr. Ward, with Leave of the House.

Sik, — Invercargill, 16th January, 1892. We, the persons appointed by you on the 31st day of December, 1891, under the 25th section of the regulations under " The Post and Telegraph Classification and Regulation Act, 1890," have the honour to report as follows : — We commenced our duties, in pursuance of the said appointment, on the Bth day of January, 1892, and continued our sittings on the 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th days of the same month, and were occupied altogether forty-five hours. There were 232 appeals submitted for our consideration and report. Some of the appellants complain that the salaries set opposite their names in the seventh column of the departmental list for the year 1891-92 are not sufficiently high for the duties they have to perform, or for their length of service, or other considerations. After careful deliberation we consider our duties are limited by the regulations to the question whether the name of the officer appealing has been placed in a class lower than that in which, from the nature of the services he performs, it ought to be placed. We have, however, gone through all the papers in each case, and wherever it appeared to us that an error had been made in the amount of salary placed against an officer's name in the list we have drawn attention to the same, in order that it may receive your consideration. There are also cases where appellants have not expressly claimed that their names should be placed in a higher class or grade, but who claim, higher salaries than are consistent with their classification, the inference being clear that they claim to be placed in such positions in the classification as will entitle them to higher salaries; and these cases we have dealt with as being intended to be appeals to be placed in a higher class than that in which their respective names appear. There are other appellants who complain that their names are inserted too far down in the list of their grade or class. This is not a ground of appeal under the regulations, nor do the regulations require that names shall be inserted in each class or grade in order of seniority ; and therefore an officer is not prejudiced by the position in which his name appears, so long as it is within his proper class or grade, the senior officer not necessarily being the one whose name is highest in the list of his class or grade. The ground upon which some of the officers of the sixth class appeal is that their names have been placed in the second grade of that class instead of in the first grade ; but all these objections have been met by " The Post and Telegraph Classification and Eegulation Act Amendment Act, 1891," and there is now only one grade in the sixth class. A large number of officers have appealed upon the ground that their length of service while engaged and employed as messengers has not been included in the column of the departmental list appropriated to length of service. Their position appears to be this : A messenger is an officer under Schedule B of " The Civil Service Act, 1866," but messengers are excluded from some of the provisions of that Act. Section 45 shows which of the Parts and sections of the Act apply to those officers. Section 12 entitles them to compensation for loss of office through no fault of their own, to be computed Upon length of service ; and Part V. gives them a right to superannuation allowance, in which length of service is a material element. It is an important feature in their cases that they are not admitted to the classification provisions in Part I. of the Act, because classification implies a right of promotion by seniority, or that is an important element in respect to it, and there is no other provision which creates a right to promotion independent of classification, but increment to the salaries of that class of officers is provided for in another way under section 46 of the Act. These officers therefore seem to have no right that length of service as messengers shall be computed for classification purposes, but that it shall be computed in respect to compensation for loss of office, and for superannuation purposes. These remarks apply principally to the officers appointed messengers before " The Civil Service Act Amendment Act, 1871," came into operation. Those officers who entered the Service as messengers since that Act came into force are certainly not in a better position. I—F. 6.

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It seems therefore to be desirable that the regulations should require the departmental list to contain two columns showing length of service—one, for classification purposes, excluding length of service as messenger, the other including it. We have now to report our opinion— 1. That the officers whose names appear in Schedule A have not been placed in a class or grade lower than that in which, from the nature of the services they perform, they ought to have been placed. 2. That the appeals in Schedule B have been met by the Amendment Act, 1891, which repeals the grading of the sixth class. 3. That in our opinion the officers whose names appear in Schedule C ought to be placed in the classes and grades opposite to their names in the schedule. 4. That the officers whose names appear in Schedule D are not entitled to have the time during which they were employed as messengers computed in length of service for classification purposes. At the commencement of our proceedings we appointed Mr. Walter Martin to be our secretary, and we desire to state that we are indebted to Mr. W. H. Eussell for much valuable information. We have, &c, C. E. Eawson. Jno. Tuenbull. The Hon. the Postmaster-General of New Zealand. B. H. Caeew.

SCHEDULE A. We are of opinion that the following officers have not been placed in a class or grade lower than that in which, from the nature of the services they perform, they ought to have been placed.

6 3 fil 1 Class or Grade. Name ol Officer. Eemarks. 105 First class Orohiston, J. This officer appeals on the ground that his maximum salary has been fixed at £300. This maximum is fixed by the Act of 1890, and therefore is not a subject for appeal under the regulations. This officer is receiving the maximum salary in the second class. There appears to be no power to include his office in the first class. The Act defines the offices specifically which are included in that class, and no others can be removed into it. This appeal is not against the class in which the officer is placed, and therefore not a proper subject of appeal. (See Regulation 25.) This appeal is not against the class in which the officer is placed, and therefore not a proper subject of appeal. (See Regulation 25.) This officer objects to the position of his name on the list as to sequence. No ground of appeal. (See report.) 105 Second class Goodman, R. J. Mason, J. W. 105 105 Lubecki, A. D. 105 Third class Cumming, D. 8 9 105 105 1 3 Fourth class Harrington, H. W. Stevens, S. P. Fifth class, 1st grade Halliwell, L. Cresswell, A. E. Northcroft, E. Moreahead, E. T. Hill, C. Black, J. Martin, B. N. Furby, a. F. White, P. P. Houlihan, R. F. Dignan, A. M. Dean, B. 0. Rule, J. G. Dempsey, W. H. Salmon, T. B. Plimmer, H. Smith, W. Aitken, T. The question is whether temporary service is to be computed as part of length of service. It appears that " The Civil Service Act, 1866," does not apply to temporary service. (See Section 2.) 10 11 14 17 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 81 32 35 86 105 105 106 106 106 106 106 106 106 106 106 106 106 106 107 107 107 107 4 3 10 6 10 13 14 20 22 23 30 33 36 41 47 51 60 5 Fifth class, 2nd grade^ Sixth class, 1st grade, Postal officers Ditto 87 38 39 41 42 43 a 107 107 107 107 107 107 107 6 7 12 26 27 28 1 Coombe, H. G. Baker, J. Reid, P. Dryden, A. P. Brogan, V. J. Harle, G. H. Calders, J. Sixth class, 1st grade, Telegraph officers Ditto 46 4G 47 107 107 107 2 3 4 Mountier, E. J. Ward, W. T. Clark, E,

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SCHEDULE A—continued.

I i p< p< < I I—I I fli °a . §| SO 5 " , <*> PJ &S3 6 Class or Grade. Name of Officer. Remarks. 48 49 50 51 52 108 108 108 108 108 7 8 9 10 13 Sixth class, 1st grade, Telegraph officers Ditto Brebner, W. Day, G. F. Harrington, E. J. Morrison, J. Melton, J. Recommend this officer be placed with Postal officers. 54 55 108 108 16 17 Hawley, F. C. Wyatt, H. P. de K. Suggest that salary be placed at £180, as it seems that £170 was entered in error. 57 58 108 108 19 20 Smallbone, G. F. B. Kirker, T. Claims also that messenger's service be counted. See report. 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 108 108 108 108 108 108 108 108 108 108 108 108 21 23 24 27 28 29 32 35 37 39 40 43 Booth, R. Seymour, C. A. Ashton, W. M. Clayton, H. R. Steward, W. K. Rapley, T. W. Heney, W. Harrington, W. J. Sargeant, J. Tait, J. Treeweek, C. Dommett, W. H. Recommend that error in length of service be corrected. 71 74 76 108 108 108 45 54' 58 Storey, G. B. Kivell, J. A. Salmon, J. W. Claims also that messenger's service be counted. See report. 78 80 108 108 61 64 Baird, R. M. Aitken, J. Recommend that error in length of service be corrected. Ditto. 82 83 84 85 93 108 108 108 108 109 68 70 71 72 16 Greatbatch, H. G. .. Wylie, W. O'Connell, M. King, A. V. Harrison, B. R. Sixth class, 2nd grade, Postal officers Ditto Recommend that error in length of service be corrected. 102 109 51 Johnson, F. T. R. .. 108 110 12 Sixth class, 2nd grade, Telegraph officers Ditto Percival, A. S. This officer's complaint as to length of service seems to be a matter for the Law Officers of the Crown to advise upon. Ditto. 122 110 43 Stott, L. .. 151 153 154 111 111 112 137 140 142 Turner, H. G. Wyatt, C. A. de Bα Martin, R. This appeal is not against class, and- therefore not a proper ground of appeal. This appeal is not against class, and therefore not a proper ground of appeal. Suggest that any error in date of appointment be corrected. This appeal is not against class, and therefore not a proper ground of appeal. 155 112 143 Scott, W... 159 112 157 Herd, J. A. 164 168 171 112 113 113 183 39 46 Cadets Caldwell, L. Ormsby, G. Cooper, G. R. This officer objects to the position of his name on the list as to sequenoe. No ground of appeal. See report. Claims also that messenger's service be counted. See report. Recommend that error in length of service be cor reoted. w • • • • .78 113 55 ff .4 . . Laurenson, J. .76 113 72 Crawshaw, S. C. .79 .80 113 113 83 85 France, J. Fogo, R. H. Recommend that error in length of service be corrected. Appeal as to amount of salary only. .88 .86 .87 114 114 114 4 7 2 C. P. M., 2nd grade .. Wilkin, J. W. McBeth, J. F. Bagge, J. P. M., 1st grade There is in this appeal a question of length of service, with which we do not deal. The Law Officer of the Crown appears to have given an opinion on the matter. .88 89 .90 .91 .92 114 115 115 115 115 6 6 8 13 16 P. M., 2nd grade Sheath, J. H. Gudgeon, J. B. Bundle, W. Capper, H. W. Whelan, C. £195 appears as the salary for this officer for the year 1891-92, whereas the minimum for this grade Is £220. it * • .93 .94 ,95 115 115 115 21 22 1 Chaney, W. J. Algie, J. A. McHutcheson, W... The office appears to be placed in its proper grade, and we understand the officer has been removed to a higher grade. P.M., 3rd grade

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SCHEDULE A— continued.

o "A Class or Grade. Name of Officer. Kemarks. .96 -97 .98 115 115 115 2 5 9 P. M., 3rd grade Halliday, 0. C. Dansey, R. D. Storey, G. .99 100 115 115 13 14 Bobertshaw, F. J. Absolum, A. The office appears to be placed in its proper grade, and we understand the officer has been removed to a higher grade. This officer's emoluments are over the minimum, and he has no ground of complaint. The office appeal's to be placed in its proper grade. £170 appears as the salary for this officer for the year 1891-92, whereas the minimum for this grade is £185. !01 !02 !03 104 iO5 !06 !07 !08 109 116 116 116 116 116 116 116 116 116 2 8 11 17 20 21 23 24 25 P. M., 4th grade Palmer, T. White, 0. L. Kenny, W. M. G. Stanton, S. G. Gilbert, H. E. Staunton, M. J. Winterburn, A. A. Wylie, J. T. Norton, C. J. Suggest that salary be placed at £160, as it seems that £150 was entered in error. ill !12 518 !16 116 116 116 117 32 34 42 54 Ryan, J. Harding, W. A. Clemett, A. D. Bayliffe, R. A. The office appears to be placed in its proper grade. Not entitled to increment under the Act until after one year's service under the classification. !17 Hβ 117 117 57 59 Mayne, J. Ramsay, J. The office appears to be placed in its proper grade. £120 appears as the salary for this officer for the year 1891-92, whereas the minimum for this grade is £140. Not an appeal against class. The officer asks for an increase of salary, but he is already receiving the maximum of his grade. Not an appeal against class. The officer asks for an increase of salary, but he is already receiving above the maximum of his grade. 221 117 Linemen, 1st grade .. Guiness, B. M. V... !22 117 Glare, H. .. !23 !24 117 117 5 6 Boers, W. G. A. Fitchett, A. Not an appeal as to class, but as to date of appointment. !25 !26 118 118 13 27 Hamilton, W. H. Heaven, H. T. Not an appeal against class. Recommend that error in length of service be corrected. Not an appeal against class, but as to date of appointment. Ditto. !27 118 32 Johnson, R. !28 !29 !30 118 118 118 33 3 10 Linemen, 2nd grade .. Lockhead, J. Spillane, M. Webber, H. G. !31 118 12 Kidson, C. B. The initial of this officer's name appears to require correcting. Not an appeal against class. Suggest that error in date of appointment be corrected. !82 !33 !84 !35 !36 118 118 119 119 120 4 20 18 25 2 Letter-carriers, sorters Letter-carriers, 1st grade Letter-carriers, 2nd grade Ditto Junior and assistant counter clerks, Telegraph Ditto Junior and assistant exchange clerks Ditto Warner, H. M. Hardie, J. P. McCrea, G. Shirley, T. E. Fitzgibbon, E. Not an appeal against class, but as to salary. Not an appeal against class. !87 !38 120 120 3 1 Fitzsiromons, E. Keefe, W. E. !39 !40 141 142 120 121 121 121 7 18 27 o Redmond, G. Churchill, G. Thomas, A. H. Maclean, F. Not an appeal against class. Despatch clerks

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SCHEDULE B. The following officers, who have been placed in the second grade of the sixth class, appeal against the grade in which they have been placed. The appeals in this list have been met by the Amendment Act of 1891, which repeals the grading of the sixth class.

SCHEDULE C. Recommendations.

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n. > So o O Class or Grade. Name of Officer. Bemarks. 87 88 89 90 91 92 95 96 97 109 109 109 109 109 109 109 109 109 3 6 9 10 13 14 18 19 22 Sixth class, 2nd grade Dorset, B. H. White, W. A. Porter, E. W. Scutt, W. Mathews, R. Worthington, W. J. Jones, A. M. Callaghan, W. Moorhouse, G. W... Suggest that any error in date of appointment be corrected. 98 99 103 104 109 109 110 110 27 41 2 3 Newman, C. A. Huggins, H. A. R. Cowper, F. T. Collins, T. P. Sixth class, 2nd grade, Telegraph officers Ditto 105 106 107 109 112 113 11G 117 118 120 121 123 124 125 127 129 133 134 135 136 138 139 140 141 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 5 7 11 13 16 21 28 31 32 39 40 46 48 53 57 60 70 71 73 74 81 84 86 88 Poynter, J. G. Cosgrave, P. T. McLeod, A. Chisholm, W. E. Cofley, B. Poole, W. N. Hay, 3. Jones, W. D. Ferguson, 3. Barr, 3. Andrews, W. A. Canavan, C. H. D. Stewart, W. F. Y. Alexander, J. Wiren, I. E. Edser, H. Mann, C. B. Cumming, G. S. Levy, G. Hale, T. Allen, S. C. Williams, F. Price, G. M. Brewer, P. Suggest that any error in date of appointment be corrected. 142 143 145 146 147 148 150 161 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 112 90 92 100 106 109 112 136 160 Nicholas, T. G. Young, W. F. Hale, A. H. Percival, G. H. Smith, W. B. Muller, A. J. Bosworth, J. T. McNickle, W.

105 105 4 First class Second class Fifth class, 1st grade Meddings, W. G. Furby, W. S. Smith, H. F. Miller, D. A. This officer appeals on the ground that his maximum has been fixed at £450, whilst two other officers in the same class—viz., Inspectors of Telegraphs at Napier and Dunedin —have their maximum at £500. This is not a proper ground of appeal under the regulations, because the maxir mum of the Inspector of Telegraphs at Christchurch has been fixed by the Act of 1890. This is not an appeal against class, but as to date of appointment. We think this officer is entitled to count provincial service under section 31 of " The Civil Service Act, 1866." Recommend that this officer be placed in fourth class. Recommend that this officer be placed in the fourth class, and that title " Senior " be prefixed to his office. Applies to be placed in fourth class. Recommend that the officer be placed in fifth class, 1st grade. Recommend that this officer be placed in fifth class, 2nd grade. Ditto. Recommend that this officer be entered as a clerk in the sixth class. 12 15 105 106 4 12 20 106 11 Fifth class, 2nd grade Bush, J. L. 40 107 19 Sixth class, 1st grade Kissell, H. 53 165 108 112 14 3 Sixth class Cadets Davis, E. H. Hayes, E. E.

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SCHEDULE C— continued.

SCHEDULE D. Claims for Messenger's Service.

Approximate Coat of Paper.— Preparation, not given; printing (1,200 copies), £8 10s.

By Authority : George Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB92. Price 6d.J

Id I Class or Grade. Name of Officer. Remarks. 167 113 34 Cadets Aston, E , . Eecommend that this officer be entered as a clerk in the sixth class. Ditto. Eecommend that this case be left to the operation of regulation 27, and that error in length of service be corrected. Eecommend that officer be placed as telegraphist in sixth class. Eecommend that officer's name bo placed in list of Post Office messengers, second grade, at minimum salary. 169 175 113 113 40 60 Bott, L. A. Craig, F. W. 182 114 118 Kingsley, H. L. 245 123 94 Message-boys Boyd, E. H.

13 105 9 Pifth class, 1st grade Keys, B. H. Claims that messenger's service should not be deducted from present entry on departmental list. Claims that messenger's service be counted. 18 30 34 56 72 73 75 77 79 81 106 106 107 108 108 ■ 108108 108 108 108 7 43 58 18 46 50 56 59 63 66 Fifth class, 2nd grade Sixth class, 1st grade Smith, W. Doad, F. H. Williamson, J. C. .. dimming, S. Maguire, T. Oxley, A. W. Tregcming, W. N. .. Crow, J. .. Lucas, A. H. Henderson, J. 100 110 109 110 44 14 Sixth class, 2nd grade Perrin, P. Crow, W... Claims that messenger's service be counted. Admitted error in marginal note onlist to be corrected. Claims that messenger's service be counted. Claims that messenger's service should not be deducted from entry on list. Claims that messenger's service be counted. Appeals against other officers' length of service as entered on list. No ground of complaint. Claims that messenger's service be counted. 111 114 110 110 15 23 Hyams, I. Bourke, L. W. 115 126 128 130 131 137 144 149 152 156 157 158 160 162 163 166 170 172 110 110 110 110 110 111 111 111 111 112 112 112 112 112 112 112 113 113 25 56 58 61 64 78 94 114 139 149 153 154 158 167 m 9 45 48 Blakely, W. J. Maguire, J. J. Woods, G. W. Morris, W. H. Potter, S. Maguire, P. D. Hodgson, B. 0. Missen, B. T. Greene, J. J. Carmine, L.J. Bennetts, W. P. Johnston, A. J. W. Bennett, H. J. Cherry, T. A. Moore, E. A. Scully, P. M. Grocott, H. D. Pierce, 0. Cadets The officer seems to consider that he is entitled to maximum salary of £100. Claims that messenger's service be counted. 174 177 178 181 113 133 113 114 56 77 82 104 Piokford, H. Bull, E. N. Esson, W. L. McCrea, J. C. Claims that messenger's service be counted. Lettercarriers appear to be in the same position as to length of service as messengers. See Schedule B, " The Civil Service Act, 1866." Claims that messenger's service be counted. !14 !15 !43 117 117 121 46 53 7 P. M., 4th class Rollo, A. H. Young, J. S. Caven, W. M. Despatch clerks Suggest that any error in date of appointment be corrected.