PUBLIC SERVICE SALARIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 301, 14 September 1920, Page 5

PUBLIC SERVICE SALARIES

POSITION OF SENIOR OFFICERS. A statement regarding tho position of officers of the Public Service in receipt of salaries in excess of .£SOO a year was made yesterday by the Prime Minister in reply to Mr. 'R. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs), wlio had asked how these ofli-' cers were affected by the recent increases. "The Government lias decided that 110 action will be taken in respect of Heads of Departments and other officers of the Administrative Division," replied Mr. Massey. "Their salaries are specially appropriated, and any necessary adjustments can be made in the supplementary estimates when (lie matter conies before the House in the ordinary course, apart .altogether from the Imprest Supply Act, 1020 (Nd. 2). As regards professional officers receiving salaries iii excess of the scalc provided under the Public Service Act. a similar position exists. There remains', however, a small sectfion of tho classified staff whose salaries are fixed by tho ordinary Public Service scales., The salaries of those officers do not, in any case, exceed £750 per annum, and the majority receive between ,£SOO and £GOO. The effect of limiting the increase to officers receiving ,£SOO per annum has been to bring an officer at £500 up to £550, while Ilia senior officer, under whose control ho is, remains at £550. This is considered to bo undesirable, and in view of the further fact that officers whose salaries exceeded £500 per annum been decided that the operation of tho former £15 cost-of-living bonus, it.has been decided that the opei'%ion of the Imprest Supply Act. 1920 (No. 2), shall bo extended to all officers whose salar'es aro paid in accordance with the classification scales, but not otherwise. The same course will be followed in the case of tdie R-aiilwar Department (excluding Subdivision. 1 of the First DiviV'bn) and the Post and Telegraph Department."