Sept. 1.
At the risk of labouring the subject it has to be pointed out that if the reports of the Economy Committee, published in February of last year, and that of the Salaries Commission, published quite recently, ave read together, there is good cause for alarm lest the municipality be on, the verge of fa reversal of policy with regard tothe remuneration paid municipal employees. Goiag back ten years to the Salaries Commission which sat in 1920, the following reference to th question is to be found "The Commission records its opinion that generally speaking the present remuneration heads of departments docs not compare unfavourably with posi tions of similar responsibility in other concern That finding is quoted, la Stalies, by the Economy Gommittee, apparently with approval, Judging from the following excerpts taken from its own report (see Municipal Gazette, 1929, pp. 46 and 47):
The Committee are of the opinion that where remuneration consists of a monthly rate of pay to which is added various allowances and extra amounts paid for special services the employees and the ratepayers axe very apt to overlook the latter in considering the actual rate of remunera-fiom, while the system is open to the further criticism that the full amount of which the employee is in receipt is not readily apparent to the general public With regard to existing scales of pay, the Committee consider that so far as the lower paid employees of the Council ai cerned their salaries are gen in line with the recommendati of the Salaries Commission in 3921 and that in certain cases an increase may be justified.
On the other hand the salaries paid to some of the incumbents of senior positions in the Council's service, not only as far us the mécinven salaries are concerned leo the minimum, are in cer tain cases higher than appear to be either necessary or equitable."
This Committee do not here propose to refer to specie cases, but they wish to. draw particular attention to the schedules of pay for the higher and highest posts the service, as they consider that not only are the minimum salaries in some eases too hig but that the substantial increases automatically accorded at the end of each three years? contract are not justified.
These views—the italics are now provided for guidanee—appear to be endorsed in the report now under consideration, though perhaps to an extent which is not readily apparent (p. 354, Municipal Gazette, 1930)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.