THE WAR BONUS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2883, 22 September 1916, Page 6

THE WAR BONUS

AND ALLEGED ANOMALIES CIVIL SERVANTS APPROACH x MINISTER Certain, matters pertaining to the war bonus to civil servants were mentioned to the Hon. J. Allen by a deputation from tlio Public Sorvico Association yesterday. Mr. G. Allport, president of tho as-' sooiation, spoko first of war loan certificates. Some officers, he said, wished to invest in these, "but as they had not money availablo, they asked to be allowed to pay by instalments.' He urged that it was not fair that only £3 should be paid to officers under 18 years of age, while £7 10s. was paid to unmarried officers over 18 years /of age, especially when some of those under 18 had more service t-ban other officera recoiving the larger amount. He referred also to the rule that casual employees in the Public Works Department were to bo-paid the bonus'as from July 1, while the other State employees would recoive it as from April 1. Ho suggested tlhat this was an anomaly that should be corrected. Another matter was that of overtime. If a man worked overtime so as to'bring his total salary up to over £315 a year he did not get tha bonus, whereas the man who got less than £315 a year and did not work overtime did get tho bonus.- It had to'bo remembered that a man had to work six iourß' overtime in a week for nothing before lie received any ovortimo pay, and it .seemed vory hard that when 'ho did work extra hours after that ho should bo barred from getting the bonus. Tho Minister said the matter spoken of concerned the Minister of Finance and Cabinet more than himself. In regard to purchasing war loan certificates by instalments, ho did not know whether the Minister of Finance could arrange it. He understood that some such arrangement had been made in the Public Trust Office, but other DV partments could not <lo that because fchoy had no funds at their disposal. Ho would, however, submit the proposal to the Minister of Finance. Generally ho would place tlio points made before his colleague, but tho deputation must understand that there wero certain limitations, one of which was that the expenditure was not to exceed £400,000, and 1 therefore they could not open the door any furtlior than.it was at present. It seomed, ho added, somowhat anomalous that tlio amount earned by an officer working overtimo should .provont his getting the boiius. I'horo must, however, bo certain anomalies and injustices in any 'scheme, and ho did not seo how it was possible to avoid them. In imy case, tho overtimo worker, it must be remembered, had received the payment for it. As to officers under eighteen yoars of age, ho did not see that there was anytilling unfair, in view of the fact that the total amount to bo expended was. limited. Ho did not think he could hold! out any hope of an alteration being made in that respcct; In regard to Public AVorks casual omployces, tho Minister said the matter had been very carofully considered. The reason for tlio dilYcrenco was that nearly all of them were casuals, and tho bonus had to ho paid on the basis of their weekly or fortnightly rates of pay. "Why, ho asked, should they go back in regard to casual employment beyond July? Somo nf tho men did not go to work until July. Ho would submit their request to tho Minister of Public Works, who had made the arrangement, but could hold out very little nope of tho arrangemont boing altered.