Small Slice of Cake

Cake for Fiji Civil Servants Compromise on Salaries Revision

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Suva, Oct. 16.

FIJI’S Legislative Council rose on October 13 after having spent much of the time since October 3 on the question of Civil Service salaries revision.

Although no official statement has been made, it is common knowledge that the Civil Service objected to the report of the Salaries Commissioner (Mr. E. Mills) and to the Government’s proposed amend ments to the recommendations made in the report.

Unofficial members of the Council, after a detailed study in committee, reluctantly accepted the Government’s motion for the adoption of the amended report, but urged that the proposed increase in ex penditure (about £75,000 per annum) should be cut to avoid further taxation.

Leave conditions, the unofficials stated in a memorandum, were too generous in certain cases, and they recommended the appointment of “a person with extensive practical commercial experience (not a civil servant) to look into and report upon the establishment and staffing of the Fiji Civil Service in general.’

The memorandum added that “much dead wood could be pruned and un necessary staff dispensed with.” It ex pressed the view that the Civil Service is overstaffed, and suggested that if reductions were made higher salaries could be paid where they are deserved.

The memorandum was accepted by the Government, and at the end -of the ses sion the Governor (Sir Brian Freeston) said: “I am satisfied that we have reached a compromise, but, like all compromises, it is unsatisfactory.”

The civil servants, the Governor said, had not been given a very large slice of cake, but they had not been sent empty away. He promised that the Government would do its utmost to avoid extra taxa tion to meet the bill, but declined to give an undertaking on this point, adding; “We do not know how this year is going to turn out.”

European Civil Servants’ Association.

AT the annual meeting of the European Civil Servants’ Association on Octo ber 16, the salaries revision propo sals were discussed at considerable length and it was decided to submit to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, through the Governor, the views of the Association on the proposals.