35

H.—l4

trative Division practically all the Heads of the existing thirty-three Departments, with the addition of one professional officer in'the Public Works Department, two Assistant Secretaries in the Post and Telegraph Department, the Assistant Secretary of the Public Works Department, and the Assistant Commissioner of the Government Insurance Department. Under the proposals in regard to amalgamation of Departments which I have made elsewhere the number of Administrative officers should be reduced to fourteen, and provision made for salaries, in excess of the present maximum of the Clerical Division, for chief officers of sub-departments or branches. The salaries of professional officers are not limited by Act. At present Administrative officers cannot be classified under the Act, the provision of their salaries and increments being fixed from year to year by Parliament as under the old Act. If my proposals in regard to amalgamation of Departments are agreed to I would suggest that the minimum and maximum salaries of the fourteen proposed Permanent Heads be fixed by law. Departments might be grouped in two classes—Class I carrying a salary for the Permanent Head of £900 to £1,200 per annum, and Class II £700 to £850. The present arrangement, under which the Head of an important Department, such as the Customs Department, may be drawing less than the Head of a comparatively minor one, is not satisfactory. Improvements in Classification. An endeavour has been made to improve the position of attendants in mental hospitals by increasing their minimum and maximum salaries, and by adding to their salaries the value of such emoluments as board and lodging, a corresponding deduction being made for refund to maintenance. It has been a long-standing grievance that the salaries of these officers were fixed with regard to emoluments, and that the value of the emoluments did not count towards pension. A claim to be treated on the same footing has been made by officers higher in rank, but, as it is only proper that the Superannuation Fund should receive something in return for the period which has elapsed since 1907, the matter appears to be one for legislation, and I have advised Government accordingly. The same arrangement is being made as regards the treatment of emoluments in the case of attendants and others in the special schools, and will be applied, as far as possible, to all Departments. In the new list the positions of valuers in the Department and Inspectors of the Department of Agriculture have also been improved. In the Prisons Department it has been decided to reclassify the officers, and as a result the positions of the gaolers, warders, and matrons in such institutions will be considerably improved. Improvements in the Post and Telegraph classification are mentioned under the heading Post and Telegraph Department on page 36. These improvements (and others) are shown in detail in Table V. Allowances to Officers. As promised in-my First Report, I show (in Table VII) particulars of special allowances to officers, in addition to salary, which are not provided in the Classification List. Judging from the recommendations received from Departments to grant allowances which have been declined by the Commissioners, it seems to be the case that in some Departments there has been a disposition in the past to add to officers' salaries by means of allowances for performing duties which in other Departments are considered to be fully covered by the salaries. The Commissioners regret that they have had to disappoint officers who have been recommended for allowances by their Permanent Head, but they have been unable to regard precedent as of any value in such cases. No doubt there are many difficulties, but it is quite clear that in fixing a scale of salaries Parliament intended that the scale should cover the whole of the duties attached to the positions graded under the scale, and that if an officer is not paid sufficiently the proper course is to increase his salary. This, however, is not fully appreciated, as it is found that in more than < >ne case where the position of an officer has been improved solely on account of the responsibility of his duties claims have been made for allowances for the same reason.