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Finance Act, 1931 (No. 1). This Act made provision for the adjustment of public expenditure by reducing the rates of salary, wages, and emoluments of all State employees as from the Ist April, 1931 by an amount equal to 10 per cent, of the rate at which such employees were paid on the 31st March, 1931. Provision was also made that all scales of salaries and increments should be correspondingly reduced. It also provided that the Governor-General might from time to time make all such regulations as might be deemed necessary for the purpose of carrying the Act into effect, and, in particular, that any such regulations might make provision for the adjustment of anomalies or for the relief of cases of hardship. Regulations were made and published in the New Zealand Gazette No. 37, of the 14th May, 1931. These regulations established an " Adjustment Committee," consisting of the following persons (a) The President of the Arbitration Court : (b) The Public Service Commissioner : (c) The President of the New Zealand Public Service Association (Incorporated). Applications for relief may be made to the Committee up to and including the 30th September, 1931. The regulations further provide that if in any case the Adjustment Committee is satisfied that an anomaly or hardship exists it shall consider the special circumstances of the case and the departmental report and recommendation, and may make such decision as in the circumstances it thinks fit, just, and equitable. Section 14 contains special provision enabling a retiring-allowance to be given to an officer who is compulsorily retired through no fault of his own and who, if at the date of his retirement not more than five years were added to his age or length of service, would be eligible to be granted a retiring-allowance in accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Superannuation Act. Officers retired under this section are granted a reduced annual retiring-allowance, not in any case greater than the maximum amount which the Government Actuary certifies can be granted without imposing on the Superannuation Fund any additional liability by reason of such retiring-allowance being granted before the earliest date on which the contributor would have been entitled as of right to receive a retiring-allowance on his voluntary retirement. This section remains in force until the 30th September, 1931. Finance Act, 1931 (No. 2). Section 13 provided that the Governor-General in Council may declare certain payments not to be pay or salary for superannuation purposes. Section 19 provided that, on and after the Ist day of May, 1931, the Cook Islands Public Service and the Samoan Public Service should be under the control of the Public Service' Commissioner, and that the Public Service Act, 1912, should apply to the members thereof. Sections 21 and 22 were for the purpose of facilitating the amalgamation of the Census and Statistics Office with the Department of Industries and Commerce, and of the Registrar-General's Office with the Department of Justice. Board of Appeal. The term for which the two elective members of the Public Service Board of Appeal were elected expired in May of this year. Nominations were invited in accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Amendment Act, 1927, and the Public Service Regulations. Only two nominations (Messrs. Charles de Rant Andrews, Valuation Department, and Thomas Pound, Lands and Survey Department) were received, and these officers were accordingly declared duly elected. The following is a summary of appeals dealt with during the period Ist April, 1930, to 31st March, 1931 : — Appeals against Reclassification as at Ist April, 1929. Allowed .. . . . • • • • • 65 Allowed by consent . . . . • ■ ■ • 21 Not allowed . . . . . . • • • ■ • • 289 Do not lie . . . ■ ■ • • • 25 Withdrawn . . . . . . . • • • 93 Total number dealt with by Board .. .. 493

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