THE GOVERNMENT SUPERANNUATION FUND.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1390, 25 March 1912, Page 4

THE GOVERNMENT SUPERANNUATION FUND.

Sir,—lt : r lias ofte U. been ••aiseise'<r,thj[t' this scheme was' inaugurated;'-:iio£with (ho, feeling that the.-members of the.CWiT' Service would bo benefited,' but fot tho purpose of removing : (ho Uovermiiontof lhe v i'e'spoiisibility of the "pay'ttient.of ;'pen'-' sions. Now, when onci thinks (if tlie-num-' ber of persons who -oro already drawing pensions of largo amounts, aml.w|io.paid perhaps only a few cvHiiributiohs before retiring,;! .consider -th'et tiliio, lias arrived. wheuit;should be deckled whether snpei-j animated persons'.should-not.eontiiiue to. subscribe a percentage 'of their-.pension' to the; fund. For, comsider the. position of energetic and industrious niemlj&rs !of. the -soryice,;wlio, no; 111.niter.' what .their, capabilities may; be, ennuot, owing' tr\ .the-, perniciousness pf adverse* political .i.nllu.i. Biice, obtain promotion toVi position on the retirement I'rniu which tiSey auight.M'eceivo. at least jjlCO pel" annum.' Tho percentage that I suggest, should--be charged' on pensions ouKlit',.lo be. applied in such a .way as would e.jsuro tho pay-" ment.of oCIOO to nVembcrs .after' ten years' service. v At tho' present time the re I. isVintefise-' dissatisfaction at the disparity' ill .salary . paid to tho heads of Departments,.as com-' pared to the general stall', anil the recent-ly-gajxtted Classification. Lust (degrad-a-. tion list, I call it) shows that some of' these persons ''consider that '('here is J .' only one -individual'to lie recognised as worth consideration, and that is thw hea'd'liimfelt'.- It appears to 'me astoinidiiig that-estimates-are prepared year 'after year, end that unreasonable spaces aro not filled, up by Ministers by- bringing- the general staff closer to the head, in Miliary. I'or do wo not obsorve in inany cases differences that represent' ,n-. largo salary as between tho person in charge and his nearest subordinate? This lm.jht bo unassailable were the heads of Departments persons.who had I'enclie'd ■ their! positions in fair cpmpotitions, with .their, fellows, but it is not so, 'for. there are few,, it'any, heads'of Departments,who i!an claim their positions on- other-, grou'ads than length of service—a feature tllat ..musb be, .before, .long,. brolicn ?ip, -.!\nd, thing to limbo, of.. the past;; thjt,;is, ,if the people declare 'tliat they wai.it. somethiiig.'better than figureheads'to ndmini'jter the' public Departments. .. Experience; in four of tho largest' Departments) of "the' service decides me to emphatically, declare that if .£<oo to oCiOOO be paid to any man, it should ho one of the.strongest nvsotives of democratic "members'to see that the men who do tho work, and who, .after, all, are, j'espoiisiblq "frii:. "their., .work,, ,;u'c., i brought within, reason able, .distances of thfr, person'iii charge.■Tliere.'sh'oi'ilfL'.b'o thing/as XIOO to .£SOO a year,; or .anything like it, between Hie'head ami the'rickt l clerk.—l am,'etc., ' ' '. ;• •• , ' 'POll THE EIGHT.