RETRENCHMENT V. LABOUR DEPARTMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 778, 30 March 1910, Page 9

RETRENCHMENT V. LABOUR DEPARTMENT.

- one ■ of. the out. of works owing ,to retrenchment by the ; Ward Government/ I wish to draw attention to the way in which' money: is wasted ln the Department''of .Labour, and, also to the i fact that an extra clerk is -still holding his position when a great many, retrenched civil servants . 'are out of .work.,.■. '■; ; ■ 1 When this retrenchment was started all extra clerks were to be done away with, and as. you' well .know, sir, many men of long-standing. liave had to' seek fresh employment. The Labour Department is 'not conforming to the rulo, and you will find, at present tliis extra, clerk doing a trip to various parts o't" the Dominion comparing cost pf rent for workers, Now; sir, •if money is to be saved .< by our' Government, why - cannot returns of rents; etc., be sent to Wellington by officers of each of the four centres for comparison, instead of giving this extra glerk a holiday trip, when,, if all were fair and above board", he would have been one of the retrenched? Does Sir JV G; Ward know, and does ;tlie Minister for Labour know, by whoso authority a clerk of three or four years' ■ standing was kept in bis position while other clerks of the 1 same Department ot many .years', service were retiredP Whatever the reason,* the general public will see something - is wrong in. regard to the working of the Labour De--partment. 'When ■ •Pariiamc-nt . meets again it would not bo out of place'for

Mr. Fisher of Mr. > .Wright to ask a.fow questions in;,regard : to the Department under, notico/-.. I.;am!;certaiii ;tho .work; that, the extra clerk is, called.uponto do any lad after a feiy .weeks of'co.ach'ingVi.wouia carry out. at .£1 per.week.So, for the Department to affix tho title of oxpert will not be satisfactory, • Hoping,: sir, ; in, fairness to_ the iriany. retrenched civil servants ~yoi} ,wili find space in your paper for\£his,;let£er,--iL' am/ etc., r . i 11 TEN YEARS' SERVICE;'. ' March 25. ...