PUBLIC SERVICE PAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 32, 1 November 1918, Page 7

PUBLIC SERVICE PAY

big Increase in war bonus

ADDITIONAL £589,000 TO BE PROVIDED

The Prime Minister announced yester' flny that Cabinet had decided to make a very important addition, to -the,, war bonus paid to Public Servants this'year. \The amount voted as a war bonus to the officers receiving not more than .£315 n year \va; to be move than doubled, in recognition, of tho continued rise of prices.

Owing to tho greatly increased cost of living, Mr. Massey .said, the Government, liad been considering the question of pay mid war bonus to officers in the. Public Service, and it'had been determined to place on the Estimates for this year a sum of .£589,000, in addition.to the ordinary scale increases of salary to'which Public Servants were entitled -under the classification scheme, and also in addition to the existing w.ir bonus.

The amount expended iii) war bonus last year in the service amounted to •£463,000, and it .would therefore be seen that the total extra'amount to be paid to Public Servants consequent upon tiie increased cost of living due to tho war ■was represented hv, roughly, a sum of -£1,000,000 per annum.

The additional sum of ,£589,000 ~ provides for:— , s Increased pay to cadets upon entering the i?on',ice. /■ . ' . ' Additional bonus to officers of the KailTray Department. ■'. Increased pay for Police Force. Increased pay and bonuses to teachers and others in tho 'Education Department. / Increases of pay in Prisons Department. ".' i • ■ Special promotions in tho service recommended by the Commissioner. Additional, war bonus throughout tho rest of the.service. ..'..-.-■ '

These extra emoluments, would be granted to - the-lower-paid' officiate in tho service, and,it was hoped that the inI. creased pay and'bonuses referred to i • •■would have the effect.of relieving the' Civil Servants of the difficulties which, they had recently experienced owing to tho greatly increased cost of living due to fhe war. •' i . ■ The Minister of Finance (Sir Joseph Ward} told a Dominion reporter later that the new bonus.should be clearly'understood to be in addition, to the old bonus, and not in" substitution for it. . The Civil Servants would get the old ■;. bonus plus their shore of the new'bonus, for which a Buni of X 589,000 was to t be« , placed on the Estimates. ■■'