7

H.—l4

message to the House of Representatives, recommend a rateable reduction or increase, according to a specified rate, in the salary or wage of each person in each class of any division." 28. In the event of future disturbances in prices it would be much more desirable to apply section 24 than to endeavour to add to or reduce salaries by any arbitrary sum. While the war bonus was appreciated by officers, as far as it went, its payment at a uniform rate to all officers created many anomalies, which have given trouble in the regrading and which will take some years to correct. 29. Under the Public Service Act a regrading is expected to be made every five years, but the Commissioners are of opinion that this term is too long. Unless circumstances are very unfavourable, it is considered that the next regrading should be made not later than the Ist April, 1921. It must, however, be pointed out that frequent regradings are not practicable so long as the present cumbersome system of appeal exists. The Commissioners are of opinion that a system under Avhich the rights of officers could be reasonably preserved can be devised which will make shorter periodical regradings practicable and effective. New Schedule op Salaries. 30. The Appropriation Act, 1918, provided that the scale of salaries and increments of salaries for officers of the Clerical Division of the Public Service should be repealed, and a scale established by the Governor-General by Order in Council. 31. Much consideration was given to this important matter. Complications arose owing to different schedules being recommended to Government by Departments not under the control of the Public Service Ccmmissioner, but these were easily settled by conference called by Government, when a schedule for the clerical staff, common to all Departments, was adopted. This schedule, while being much more liberal than that provided by the Public Service Act, 1912, does no more than reasonably provide for the altered conditions now existing. 32. A comparison of the scales of salaries of (1) a leading banking company in New South Wales (which the Commissioners understand has long been regarded as a model scale), (2) of a large commercial company, (3) that finally adopted as common to all branches of the Public Service of this Dominion, and (4) the scale for the New South Wales Public Service proposed by the Royal Commission which recently sat in that State are interesting. They are as follows, the com-mencing-age being assumed to be sixteen, except in the case of the large commercial company: —

a Banking Company Commercial (Sydney). Company. Proposed by Royal Commission, ., , , ., , Now South Wales. New Zealand I'lihhe Intermediate Leaving Certificate.* Certificate.* £ £ 16 50 17 75 50 18 KM) 7 19 125 KM) 20 150 125 21 150 151) 21J 175 22" 175 175 23 200 200 24 200 200 2U .. 225 25" 225 • 225 26 225 250 27 250 250 28 250 275 29 250 275 29-J 275 30 .. . 300 31 32 30ft £ £ £ 65 60 80 81 95 96 120 120 96 110 132 120 165 156 156 180 168 180 200 180 204 220 204 228 240 216 240 260 228 252 270 240 276 (End of Class VII.) 252 300 276 300 * The intermediate Certificate is understood to the Leaving Certificate to Matriculation of the New J be about equal to the New Zealand Entrance Examination, raid Zealand University.