STATE EMPLOYEES.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1922, Page 7

STATE EMPLOYEES.

A LARGE ARMY. SOME SURPRISING FIGURES. Wellington, July 5. A recent discussion in the Australian Federal Parliament on the subject of the growing army of State employees disclosed the fact that there is one person working for the Government out of every six of Australia’s male adult population. The figures were cabled to New Zealand as a surprising disclosure, but examination of the Dominion's own position shows almost similar results. The proportion of State employees to the adult male population of New Zealand is not quite so high as in the Commonwealth, but the difference can only be expressed in decimals, for the proportion is 6.37. The Prime Minister recently told Parliament that the number of State employees before the operation of retrenchment was about 51,000, but that it now stood at approximately 50,000. As there is no official census of State employees available —the last estimate was made in 1915—the facts have had 'to be secured from departmental reports and the consolidated fund estimates. They may, -however, be taken as. reliable and up to date- The main features of the army of New Zealand State employees are set out as follows:

The above list does not include the temporary officers employed in Parliament Building during the session. They number- something over 100. Nor does the list include 2115 country postmasters and postmistresses who cannot be regarded as whole-time employees of the State. The miners at the State mine are also excluded. There is one State employee to every of the Dominion’s working population. The list does not end with employees of the State, for there is another large pay-roll associated with local bodies and harbor boards. These bodies employ 9539 permanents and 4277 casual hands, j making a total of 13,870, and bringing up to 64.955 the number of persons who draw their wages or salaries from public sources in the Dominion. Including the local body employees, there is one person drawing public money for every seven and a half persons comprising the Dominion’s working population. When the position was officially investigated in 1913 the Government Statistician came to the conclusion that the proportion was one-eighth of the total breadwinners- It was then estimated, that the total number of State and local body employees was 43.195, but to-day the total is 64,955, and there is no cessation in the demand for public services, although retrenchment has been vigorously urged on behalf of the taxpayer and the ratepayer.

Employees under control of Public Service Commissioner 7,353 Temporary employees under control of Public Service 986 Commissioner Casuals, including workmen .. 6.575 Railway Department 14,252 Post and Telegraph employees 8,436 Police (excluding administra1,079 tive officers) t • Parliamentary officers, perman51 Judges and magistrates 37 Teachers, primary schools 5,175 Teachers, secondary schools ... 400 Public Works Dept, artisans .. 772 Public Works Dept, laborers .. 6.097 Defence Department 642 Total . -17 v -.. 51,085