CIVIL SERVICE BONUS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 279, 19 August 1920, Page 6

CIVIL SERVICE BONUS

AND DISAPPOINTED PERSONS

EXPLANATION f THE SYSTEM

A statement was made by the Prime Minister in the House yesterday about the payment of the bonns of 450 recently allowed to Civil Servants. Mr. Wilford had asked a question in which ho suggested that tho full, amount of tho bonus was not being given to some State servants, and that, this was due to "a levelling up in grading." < Mr.Massey replied:— The honourable member is mistaken in assuming that there has been a lovellingnp in grading in the Public Service Commissioner's Office. 450 has been added 'to tho scale, salary of officers in every case. Some officers, however, were given salaries from 45 to .£2O in excess of scale by virtue of section 42 oftho.Appro.pria-! turn Act of 1919. For example, an officer whoso.scale.salary was 4220 received 4270 at the 1919 rcgrading. The .£22o.represented the maximum of the old scale for the lowest class, and tho .£270 tho maximum of the new 6cale. Certain officers who had no't been able to obtain promotion to the next class had teen receiving salaries over scale-4230 or 4243-prior to the 1919 Tegrading'. At tho regrading those who wero oualified ai.d competent to fill positions in the next class, and were performing duties properly graded in that class, received promotion. The remainder were considered to he entitled to something more than ,£270, so ihe Appropriation Act of 1919 was framed in order that they < might receive .£45 more thnn their' former salaries, they accordingly received .£275 or 4290 for work valued tit .£270. Officers who nad attained the maximum of ,£270 in 1919,' were unable to progress beyond that maximum in 1920, and an anomaly arose through officers cif equivalent status performing exactly similar duties, being paid 4290, .£275, and .£270 respectively for duties valued at 4270. By adding the 450 increase to the scale maximum of 4570 each of these, officers receives the" tuU value of his services, assessed on the basis ; of tho current cost of living) that I^™ 1 eac m, l^ei . v ? s . £m for * rort worth 4320. _ This principle' has been adopted S! -« , e ,. ful l "PPro™ l °f the officers of tho Public Service and Post 'and Telegraph Association, and the teachers, who suffer from'grading anomalies to n much greater extent than the Public Servico, hnve asked' the Minister of Education to pay the teachers' increases on the basis of tho grading rather thai on the salaries. Tho honourable member is entirely in error in stating that heads of Departments already receiving large salaries will get the full 450. The officcre ot the Administrative Division are to, be excluded altogether from the operation of tho Imprest Supply Act, 1920 (No. 2). They, in common with other officers receiving salnries in excess of 4500, did not receive even the former 415 bonus; Tho eases of tho'lntter offioers-that is. excluding officers of the Administrative Division—will be further considered with respect to the Imprest Supply Act, 1920 (No._ 2). As regards officers of the Administrative Division, their salaries are always placed before Parliament. Tho honourable member is nlso in error in assuming that'some officers will not receive one penny. One officer was reduced from a position he held to a position valued at 455 less, on the scoro of incompetence, but as he was a very old officer his salary was not reduced, though' there was power to do so. It is not proposed to pay the increase of 450 in this case, but, so far as'is .known, it is tho only case in which anpofficer will not receive an increase. The! officer in question has really had bin increase in advance, through not suffering a reduction in salary contemporaneously with his reduction in position. There are one or two officers who have been placed in positions sliehtly below the value <•£ their formor positions, but without reduction of snlnrv. Thev will receive the balance of the 450. The other officers who will receive less than 450 are those already referred to who are being paid 45, 410. or 420 over sealo under section 42 of the Aw>ropriation Act, 1919. Thev represent onlv a small percentage of the Service. With these exceptions every officer will Tecoivo the full increase provided by tho.Act.