1919 SCALE SOUGHT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 17, 13 October 1937, Page 5

1919 SCALE SOUGHT

-Fiess Association.)

Civil Service Wages HIGH COST OF LIVING

(By

Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Last Nigkt. Addressing delegates attending tke Public Service Association conferenee, tke president, Mr T. Pound, thanked tko Government for wkat it l'.ad already done for the Public Service. It was truet ke said, tkat the Government kad restored salary cuts, but it seejned tkat was only kalf the trutk, because, altkongk nominally salaries were tke same now as before tke depression, the civil servants were not

recoivmg tke same money as formerly. Tkere was deducted 8d in tke £ employment tax, and tke increase in incometax kad kit civil servants probably as hard as, or karder tkan, any otker class of tke community. It affected tke middle-ealaried class, in wkick category tke civil servants fell. Tke tkird and not tke least important factor was tke increase in tke cost of living. It was true tkat tke cost of living kad not risen to tkat point over tke pre-war standard tkat it kad in 1919, but it looked as if it would rise to that point. "I am not mentioning tkese matters by way of complaint, but tkey are cold, kard facts and as suck make us kopeful tkat as far as re-classification is concerned wo may getr, if not tbe 1919 scale, at least sometking equal to it," said Mr Pound. The Attorney-General, the Hon. H. G. E. Mason, said the Government desired tke association to be 6trong and representative. It would give. most earnest and careful consideration to tke conferenee 's representations and observations.