EX-SERVANTS OF THE STATE

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 17, 14 October 1921, Page 5

EX-SERVANTS OF THE STATE

SUPERANNUATION AND BONUSES - \ DISCUSSION AT SPECIAL CONFERENCE A special conference of the Federated 'Association of Superannuated Public Servents of New Zealand was held in the ' Town Hall yesterday. The president . (Captain W. Barclay) occupied the chair. ■, The following delegates and proxies were in attendance:—Auckland, Messrs. M. Guthrie and T. G. Waitt; Hawke’s Bay (proxy), E. G. Hyde; Wanganui (proxy), W. Mackin; Wellingt' n, Captain Barclay, G. Worsfold, F. W. Revell, H. E. Gilbert; Canterbury,»W. Dickie and W. Girling-Butcher (proxy): Otago, B. Parrant. In opening the conference, the president said that the society was recently successfully federated, it was all very well to have local associations, but it > was considered wiser to have a big federation of all the branches. Most of those branches frere represented at the conference directly or by proxy. He had arranged for the federation’s delegates to meet members of Parliament on the morrow. He had also written to the Primo Minister soliciting an interview for Saturday. Mr. Guthrie (Auckland) stated that hie branch’s remits referred to universal old-age pensions; superannuation not counting as salary when applying for oldage pensions; and n protest against the twopenny stamp demanded for vouchers when receiving the superannuation allowance. With respect to the second issue, Mr. Guthrie said it was not fair ' or just that superannuation should count as salary when the old-age pension was being applied for. It was not so counted in the case of the National Provident Fund, and he thought they should be guided by the procedure adopted in that case Mr. Guthrie also touched on the position or a widow of an annuitant in the Railway Department, whose superannuation allowance was stooped immediately the annuitant died. The widow and children in such a case nad no claim for anything further (whereas in the Service generally the wido\v got either a pension of ‘£lB a year and' ss. a week for each child below the age of 14, or the difference between the amount contributed and the sum actually drawn). He claimed that now the school age was being raised to 15 years, (allowances for children should ho extended to all under thaf. age, on the .ground that if children had to he kept at school until they were 15, there should be some compensation to a widow, who was rnoro or less dependent on them for support. He thought that the Government could with Advantage work on the lines adopted, by the British Government, which had granted bonuses to superannuated servants up to £3OO. Mr. Hyde (Hawke’s Bay) said he had only been asked to urge that superannuitants be treated similarly to members of Parliament and Civil servants in the way of bonuses during and since tho war. Mr. Dickie (Canterbury) 'submitted a remit favouring consolidating the superannuation Acts. Ho also brought up the point that in the case of the Railway Department the superannuation al- ■ lowance stopped as soon as the annui- , tant died, which was not the case with other Departments, and he thought they should be equalised. This point was also referred to by other delegates, who spoke of the iso-/ Jation of the Railway Department in respect to the widow's pension. Mr. Parrant (Otago) congratulated the Wellington branch on having brought about the federation, thereby bringing the claims of tho superannuated Civil servants before tho public and the Government. In the case of the Railway Department there were about 1100 . on tho fund, and none of them were ■ receiving more than £l5O a year. There were 80 men receiving £l5O per annum, 200 were receiving between £lOO and £l5O, and the other 820 were receiving less than £lOO. ’ Remits Passed. The following remits were passed:— "That the system of counting superan. nuation us income when members are applying for old age pensions b» abolished the same as is done in regard to annuitants of the National Provident ' Fund." "That the regulations providing that beneficiaries of the Superannuation Funn must affix a twopenny stamp to their voucher before they can receive amount due to them bo repealed.” "That the Government bo requested to grant bonuses to their retired Public servants on the same lines as is done by the British Government.” "That the various Superannuation Acts now in force be so emended that widows and children of deceased superannuated officers of the Public Service receive a yearly allowance of £lB per annum, plus the bonus now in force.” "That the levy on the central executive for the ensuing year be sixpence per member.” "That the Government be asked to grant free railway passes to delegates of branches of the association, to enable them to attend conferences of the federation.”