H.—l4

4

being raised as to whether the senior officer could ' carry out the duties,' not whether he was best entitled by merit. Efficiency can never be maintained in the Service unless ' merit' is regarded as the determining factor in all cases." In this matter it is of interest to note that of one hundred positions in the Service in which promotion was involved immediately subsequent to the Ist April, 1922, in only eighteen cases was the senior officer appointed. Period of Proration. In previous reports the Commissioner referred to the necessity for extending the period of probation of newly-appointed officers. Section 39 of the Public Service Act, 1912, provides for a minimum period of probation of six months. It was considered by the Commissioners that this period was not long enough to enable the suitability of a new appointee to be fully tested, and the period was extended to two years This innovation has proved to be of considerable value, for, while an officer may be performing the routine duties allotted to him during the first few months of his service in a satisfactory manner, he may, on trial, be found, quite unfitted for more responsible duties. Since the Ist April, 1921, no less than eighty-eight appointments have been annulled. It would probably be advantageous to still further extend the period of probation in certain cases. Minimum Salary at Age Twenty-one. Section 26 of the Public Service Act, 1912, provides that every male officer who has been employed in the Public Service for three years shall, if he has then attained the age of twenty-one years, be entitled to a salary of not less than £100 per annum. This salary is inadequate under present-day conditions. The scale of salaries brought into operation in 1919 contemplated that a boy who had passed the Public Service Entrance Examination, and who joined the Service at the age of sixteen, would receive a salary of £165 at the age of twenty-one. The effect of the cost-of-living increase which was granted as from the Ist April, 1920, was to increase this amount to £215 per annum. This has been reduced under the prov.sions of the Public Expenditure Adjustment Act to the 191.9 standard — namely, £165. As, however, many lads are over the age of sixteen when they join the Service, the salary they receive at the age of twenty-one is less. The minimum salary of £100 per annum provided in the statute should be raised ; but this matter will receive further consideration pending the general regrading of the Service next year. Appointment to Cadetships. Difficulty is again being experienced in obtaining the services of suitable lads for appointment to cadetships in the Public Service. During the period of the war and immediately thereafter the position was particularly acute. Last year sufficient lads were available to fill existing vacancies, but during the current year it has been difficult to fill vacancies for cadets, especially in Wellington. The principal difficulty in securing the services of cadets is the comparatively low commencing salary—namely, £70 per annum, with lodging-allowance at the rate of £40 per annum if the lad is residing away from home. While this no doubt is a reasonable rate of pay for a lad who is fifteen or sixteen years of age, it is insufficient to attract a lad who, instead of accepting appointment immediately on passing the Public Service Entrance Examination, decides to remain at college until he passes the Matriculation or a higher examination. To obtain such a certificate it is necessary for him to remain at school for a further period of approximately two to three years. This means that if a lad then desires to enter the Service, he, under present conditions, unless he has attained the age of eighteen years, is offered a commencing salary at the same rate as that of the lad who entered at the age of fifteen or sixteen —namely, £70. A lad who has attained the age of eighteen and who has passed the Matriculation or higher examination commences at an. initial salary of £85, which is the second step in the clerical scale. Generally, however, when such a lad enters a Department he is naturally required to perform junior work —more often than not work junior to that of the lad who, entering on passing the Public Service Entrance Examination, has already had from two to three years' service, and has thus gained seniority. The question of the fixing of a minimum salary at the age of twenty-one has already been referred to in a preceding paragraph, and it would appear to be a matter for consideration that the principle of making provision for varying the ,