"COLOSSAL FARCE."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1416, 17 April 1912, Page 8

"COLOSSAL FARCE."

— -♦— CLASSIFICATION. DISSATISFIED CIVIL SERVANTS. Intense dissatisfaction with the now Public Service classification, botli as to tho principles adopted nnd the procedure laid down, wns expressed at tho annual meeting of tho Wellington branch of. the Sow Zealand Civil Service Association, which was held in tho Oddfellows' Hall last night, Mi-. J. W. Collins presiding. Tho secretary (Mr. J. D. Avery) stated, in reply to questions, that tho branch .sent recommendations on this 'matter to tho Executive Committee, and othor branches had done the same. The committee had forwarded them to the then Prime Minister (Sir J. U. AVard), nnd asked him to receive a deputation. Ho acknowledged the letter, but soon afterwards went out of office, A similar communication was therefore sent to the present I'rime Minister, but, so far, with no result. It was stated that every Civil Servant had tho right to appear before tho board and appeal against the classification, but the time for lodging nppeals was now past. A member stated that if the classification schemo were gone on with upon the present linos, it would be tho most colossal farce ever perpetrated upon any Civil Service in the world, and many Civil Servants would rather withdraw their appeals than pursue them on the, proposed method. Apparently a small knot of heads of Departments had got together, made a list ot officers, sent it along to tho printer, and called it a classification list. lt,was full of inexplicable anomalies. Draughtsmen, whoso work wns apparently the same, had salaries differing by 100 per cent. Appeals were apparently to be heard by the very persons who had created tho state of affairs that made appeal necessary. The few heads of Departments who had made the classification list were not really competent to do so, as they had not the requisite knowledge of the different trades and occupations comprised in the service.

Another speaker said that it was absolutely incorrect to say that tho classification list, as issued, was the work of the heads of the Department?. It was the work of the board, which had set aside recommendations made bv tho heads of Departments without consulting them. The Classification Board was now going to sit and hear appeals against its own classification. It was a most, important thing fur the servico that they should have an independent appeal board. (Hear, hear.) He had not the slightest faitli in the present board as an appeal board. (Hear, hear.) Moreover, classification on the present lilies wonld never >,p satisfactory, because four or five heads of Departments (members of the board) could not have the requisite knowledge of all Departments, and also because it was based solely on promotion by seniority, which would never make for efficiency. They should be satisfied with classification up to a living wage-say, .£250 a year -and should fight for a very much better scale of increases up to that amount. Above that, "there should be a schedule of seniority, and if a head promoted any man above a senior, he should be required to give good and sound reasons. Promotion by seniority alone would damn the '" The committee' was directed to urge the Prime Minister "to veto the proposed undemocratic act of the Classification Board in placing the sorting and elimination ot objections in the power of heads_ of Departments, and prevent the prmoiples of Uwaiul''justice being imperilled. Other business of the meetuig comprised the adoption of the annual report, which was published'in' The Dominion yesMr." J. D. Avery was re-elected secretary, nnd Mr. P. J. Kelleher auditor. Ihe following committee was elected:—Messrs. R. Fullerton, A. Brown, B. D. f>praggoii, J. W. Collins, Kosengrave, J. Kellehor, A. W. Kemp, C. 11. C. Robieson, C. E. Rigs, J D. Watt. D. D. Hall, and W. H. Freethey. Tho committee was strongly recommended to increase the bonus to the secretary to ten guineas. It was resolved: "That special holidays in the Civil Service should apply equally to clerical and mechanical workers.