CIVIL SERVICE CUTS

Hokitika Guardian, 18 July 1932, Page 8

CIVIL SERVICE CUTS

OPPOSITION BY GOVERNOR OF FIJI. TENSION IN COUNCIL. , SUVA, July .7. The session of the Legislative Council just closed has been remarkable for a keen fight by.- the elected miumbers against the Governor’s action in raia. ing the Salary of the Secretary for Native Affairs, lately appointed,. from £BOO (rising to £IOOO by-yearly inqrement) to £IOOO, without in any way; consulting the Legislative Council, as laid down in Colonial Regulation No. 281; and for a the .question; of • a reduction of the' salaries of ' the : civil servants. ; ; On the first question the elected •members were defeated by the official majority. In the discuss on bis- Excel-'’ lencv apologised for forgetting to. inform the .representatives of the people stating that'he 1 had the consent of the Secretary of State- The regulation states that any increase of salary (unless in cases of emergency)’, ■ not provided k for in the' Estimates, . must first he bv ‘ the ' Legislature and then by Ihe Secretory of ‘State.

i IMMEDIATE; ACTION URGED. _f •• • -,e (•••: >V yf ;i

Li the ;.9econd case, ;Sir - Maynard Hedstrom moved “that the last paragraph of ill enable 6f the Secretary of State, dated'.Trine -18, he taken as .-an invitation 'to . the" Governor to immediate action- and that;proposals, iir conformity with the suggestion contained in the last paragraph- should >be. submitted to the Seer eta iw of Stab by eabiec**. The: ?last'-s. paragraph re ferret! to, concerned theifijipOOitolapy and read, “I am' sympathetic* to any fair proposal for economy* and I. should certainly be ready to consider a; proposal for an-, emergency- cut in salaries ' suoh as: many: colonies, \ have applied. Biut such scheme should be of. general application, carefully; adjusted to. ensure that it is fairyto ; all.” - -

Sir Maynard .quoted a list of . colonies that, hid cut solmries. ti an d - said that the procedure adopted by . the Gold Const (reduction from- 4 to 10. per - cent. ~ according -to i-scale),.. would suit the local position.n The. /matter ( had been -debated in October, last,.and• it- was "decided- that; the (Secretary of State should re-consider the .mnitter, i” • six months- time. Now the-'fetter- favoured such a, cut, , and ‘ .thlet'r;-»el«c£6o members held that, as the. polony gone back '£40,090; in the: past s-jx months, the matter had le-come one of pxtreme urgency. ■ • - - :v.