LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 41, 12 November 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The House of Representatives will meet at 2.30 p.m. to-day, and unless news of the signing of tho armistice has como to hand members will proceed with ordinary business. Mr. Massey will meet the members of the Reform Party to-morrow morning and Sir Joseph Ward will meet the Liberals. It is expected that after these meetings some definite information will be made' available regarding the remaining business of the session, and the departure of the Prime Minister' aud the Minister of Finance for London. The Legislature Council held a. brief sitting yesterday, -and will me<A.again to-morrow.

A brief sitting of the Legislative Council was held yesterday afternoon. The Hon. W. Stewart was granted a week's leave of absence on, account of illness. Tho Council adjourned until 2.30 p.m. to-day. '

Re-grading of Civil Servants is a subject reviewed in the annual; report of the .Public Service Commissioners. The report says that under the. Public Service Act a general re-grndiug of the Service has to be made at\not longer intervals than five years. Such re-grading would in the ordinary course have been, due in August of this year, ibut in view of existing conditions Parliament passed legislation last year postponing tho first general re-grading until 1920. As the experience of tho past five years has shown that alterations are required in tho schedule of Annual salaries and increments, it is hoped that the desirability of suitably amending tho schedule to meet existing conditions will be taken into consideration before the first regrading. The main difficulty about tho scheduled salaries is that it is too rigid even in time of peace to meet special or abnormal conditions, while the upheaval caused by the war has intensified this. The Commissioners are of opinion thnt in view of the peculiar conditions attaching to the Post and Telegraph Department a general Te-grailing of that Department/in particular should take p'lace without delay, and that provision should bo made for re-grading the other Departments as soon thereafter as possible.

A returned soldier named J. Sullivan had a narrow escape from, drowning in the harbour last night. Some boys were passing the steamer Invercargill, moor-ed-at the\ Queen's Wharf at 7.45 p.m., when they heard a man struggling in the water and gave the alarm. An elderly fireman named Fuller, employed on tho Invercargill, quickly slipped .down between the bow of the ship and the wharf, and managed to grab the drowning man. He held on to the stringer, until a lino was let down and Sullivan was hauled <n to the ship. Artificial respiration was practised by Mr. A, E. Hacket, and after an hour's steady work •Sullivan was .brought round.

Tho spectacle of a titled gentleman working a lift, and several rather distinguished guests doing duty as domestic servants, is to be seen at one of Auckland's largest private hotels, where the influenza epidemic lims incapacitated most of the staff, states the "Star." At this establishment, where ordinarily everything is made ns easy as possible for the guests, boots no longer clean •themselves over-night, and in such matters as making beds and waiting at table, the guests \havo to look after themselves to a great extent. Tho ballroom is being used ns a hospital, where the influenzaridden servants aro being attended to by volunteers from the guests, who include in their ranks more than one trained nurse. As a result of the willingness of tho people in the hotel to look after themselves and assist in every manner possible y a great deal has been done to help the patients and to prevent the sickness from attaining its worst form.

The question of entertaining the Raratongans in camp nt tho Drill Hall at the Lower Hutt was mentioned at tho Lower Hutt Borough Council last night. The Mayor (Mr. 15. P. Rishworlh) stated that everything had been done to render the men's qunrters sanitary. Public entertainment hnd been forbidden by the Defence authorities on the ground of prevention of contamination with Influenza contacts, but donations' of fruit, sweets, etc., would bo gratefully accepted. A suggestion was mado that the council should make- a donation on behalf of tho ratepayers. After discussion, it was decided to leave the mailer open to public subscription.

Tho employment of returned soldiers in the Civil Service is a mailer mentioned in the annual report of the Public Service Commissioners, which was tallied in tho Legislative Council yestorday. The Commissioners decided early in 11)15 that preferential consideration should be given to returned soldiers for any vacancies in the service for which they wero considered suitable. The Discharged Soldiers' and Information Department is working in close co-operation with the Commissioners, and every effort is being mado to carry out tho decision. "Out of 061 men employed, 399 have left the service," says the report. "Probably many of them look up temporary positions in flio Public Service until they could obtain employment at their former trades or occupations; but, even making duo allowance for this, and tho unsettled state of mind which probably exists amongst some of the returned soldiers, tho proportion of resignations to appointments rsi high." The report says that in order to facilitate the employment of discharged soldiers the Commissioner has been empowered by regulation to dispense with the former conditions in regard to age, etc. The difficulty slill exists about the permanent employment of returned soldiers. As stated in the filth annual report, the Commissioners, while not desiring to insist on too strict a medical certificate, cannot make any regulation in view of pussible unforeseen changes in (he Superannuation Fund. If the matter could he settled b.v subsidising the fund many of I lie temporary employees could be placed on n. permanent footing. "Stetson's," "Tress's,'' "Battersby's."— We have just landed latest stylos and shades from these popular makers. See ' our slocks. Geo. Fowlers, Ltd.—Advt.

The Telegraph Office. advise that the K.F.Jf. (soldier's telegram) service, also tthe Casrems via Pacific service is suspended. This class telegram is not accepted via the Eastern service at prc-

"The Commissioners, while recognising the value of the technical school education of the Dominion, would remark that there appears to bo such diversity in the syllabuses of the technical schools throughout the Dominion as to render it somewhat difficult to prescribe examinations for tho Public Servico which will meet requirements" says the report of the Public Service Commissioners. 'It is not easy to understand why such standardised subjects ns engineering and metal work should not bo taught on a reasonably qualifying basis at all technical schools."

The question of a. minimum wage for married men is discussed in tho annual report of the Public Service Commissioners, placed on tho table of the Legislative Council yesterday. "The present minimum of £UO. even taking into consideration the war 'bonus given by Government, is altogether insufficient; says the report, "and it is hoped that some provision will bo made during the comiiiir session of Parliament under which the Commissioners may bo able to pay a reasonable wage to married men whose classified positions ennry a lower payment than ,£3 a week."