THE POST OFFICE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 60, 5 December 1918, Page 8

THE POST OFFICE

AN AMENDING BILL CONTROL OF THE SERVICE The Post and Telegraph Department Riil is intended to ninlto provision for some desired mnciulments in the method of iidminisfration of tho Department, especially in tho promotion and control' of member? of the service. The Department is to bo taken out of the. control of ihc Public Service Commissioner. The chief administrative oflicers of the Department, tho Secretary, and the First and Second Assistant Secretaries are. to Ire appointed by the Gov-ernor-General. The gentlemen holding those positions ;it the time of the passin? of the Act are to be deemed to Imve been appointPti under the Act, and they will remain in office. Ail other appointments are (o bo made by the Public Service. Commissioner, ])ut, as appears from tho Bill, tho Commissioner's powers in respect to them are purely nominal. Every officer of the Department is to be deemed to bo, "a three-monthly servant of tho Department," and shall be removable by tho Governor-General, on three months' notice. Officers guilty of misconduct, or officers who are inefficient may be dismissed without notice. No officer of the Department is to be transferred to any other department of the service save with the consent both of the Secretary and the permanent head of that other department. All promotions within the Department are to be made by a promotions board, to consist of the Secretary of the Department, the Chief Telegraph 'Engineer, the Chief Inspector, tho Superintendent of Staff, and one other officer of the Department to be elected by ollkers of the Department. In making piw-. : "iis the board in not to appoint to a ncy anyone from outsi(ie«the service .. icss (he board is satisfied that there is no officer within the service who is available and suitable. Choice amonj competitors! is to be made first by consideration of merit, nnd in the case of two persons of eqnnl merit the board shnll take account of seniority of classification and' length of service. If the Public Service Commissioner is satisfied that the appointment has been made by the board in accordance with the provisions of the Act, he sholl make the appointment on the recommendation of the board. The Commissioner is to refer any recommendations about which he is not satisfied back to the board,, and the board may then make another recommendation. There is to be a board of appeal, to which officers of the Department may have recourse against the determination of «a superior officer in respect of classification or salary. This board is to consist of: Two persons appointed by the Governor-General, one olh'cer of the postal branch, and one officer of the teic-gifipli brunch. Only one elected member of the board is to sit at atiy l one time, and each of the elected officers is to sit to hear .appeals coming from his own.branch of the service. The decision of the board is. to be final in nil cases. 1

Any person who attempts to influence the Minister, the Public Service Commissioner, or any mehiber of'Uhe Promolions Board or (lie Appeal Board, is to be liable to a., fine of .£SO.

For the working of the Act the Gov-ernor-General is empowered to make regulations, and the regulations are to be laid before Pwiiainent within fourteen days of their being gazetted if Parliament is sitting, or within fourteen days of the commencement of the next ensuing eession. One of the .matters for which thy regulations will provide will be a classification of the service. ,