F.—7

1890. NEW ZEALAND.

POST OFFICE AND TELEGRAPH CLASSIFICATION.

Laid on the Table by the Hon. Mr. Mitchelson with the leave of the House.

Clerical Division. Every person hereafter entering the Postal-Telegraph service in this division shall enter as a cadet, and shall be of the full age of sixteen and not more than nineteen years, and shall be appointed conditionally on probation for six months at the minimum salary. Any probationer may be summarily dismissed if found unsuitable for the employment for which he was selected. Every candidate must be of sound bodily health and good moral character, and have passed the Sixth Standard of the primary schools, or an examination of equal or higher value. This educational requirement will ensure promotion up to the maximum of the Fifth Class (£250 a year), without further examination. For promotion to a higher class every person must have passed the Senior Civil Service Examination, or the examination prescribed for the matriculation of students in the New Zealand University, or any other examination of equal value. This provision also applies to officers who may not have been in the service for ten years on the Ist of January, 1891. Chief post-offices and post-offices are proposed to be classified in keeping with the importance of the offices, and with the actual value of all work performed by the Postmasters. But such classifying is not to be finally adopted until fresh returns of the business of the offices (including work undertaken for other departments) have been received and dealt with. Non-oleeical Division. Telegraph message-boys must be not less than twelve and not more than fifteen years of age. They must have passed the Fourth Standard of the primary schools, and produce certificates of sound bodily health and good moral character. The boys will be eligible for promotion to any other branch of the Non-clerical Division for which they may be qualified, and also for cadetships; but for promotion to the latter they must have obtained a pass for the Sixth Standard, or for an examination of equal value. Any telegraph message-boy who may have been in receipt of the maximum pay for two years, and who cannot qualify for promotion to another class in the Non-clerical Division or for a cadetship, will be required to resign. In the event of a greater number of boys qualifying for promotion than the department can absorb at the time, they will be placed in a probationary class, and receive £5 increases yearly until the pay reaches £56, or until they can be promoted. For appointment to any other branch of the Non-clerical Division, every person (except cadettes) must be sixteen years and not over thirty-five years of age. He must be of sound health and good moral character, and have passed the examinations as may be prescribed from time to time, unless he be expressly exempt from any such examination. Females will be admitted as cadettes, but they will be appointed only to such vacancies as are suitable to females. They will be required to produce the certificates prescribed for cadets in the Clerical Division. Married women are not eligible for appointment, and females must resign when they marry. The age for admission for females is between sixteen and twenty-five years. General. Any officer who may be dissatisfied with his classification shall have the right of appeal, which should be addressed to the permarent head of the department. All such appeals to be considered by a Board of Officers appointed by the Governor in Council, whose decision shall be final. The right to receive any increment shall depend upon the good and diligent conduct of the officer, certified to by the permanent head of the department. If the permanent head be of opinion that the officer is not entitled to an increment, he may issue an order to deprive such officer of such increment: Provided-r.that any officer so deprived of increment may appeal to the Minister, whose decision thereon shall be final. Notwithstanding any expressed intention to bestow increments annually, the Governor in Council may, from time to time, fix the amount of salary to be paid to an officer at any sum within the maximum and minimum limits of any class. Such sum shall be the salary attached to such office without annual increment.