CO885-(18-19) — Page 527

13

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.885

19 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

12

when the first bonus was declared in 1900, and after taking advice they decided to leave the bonuses on a policy to accumulate in the bands of the Insurance Society till they sufficed to, extinguish the whole of the future premiums. /

This course was challenged by the Comp- troller and Auditor-General in 1905, since by it when an officer dies before the premiums on his policy have been extinguished, the whole of the 4241605, bonuses go to his family, and none are applied towards that extinction of premiums which was to be a first charge on the profits; while if the alternative course had been adopted, and bonuses as declared applied to the immediate reduction of the premium, the effect would have been to reduce each bonus year the amounts payable both by the officers from their salaries and by the Crown Agents from the Office Fund.

The Crown Agents urged that as the Secretary of State's instructions were that the "extinction' and not the "reduction of premiums was to be the first charge on the bonuses, and as the course which they had adopted was the quickest way of extinguishing the premiums, their action should be approved. Lord Elgin accepted their view and gave the authority which the Audit Office required.

Owing to the increase in the staff since the scheme was started, the anticipations of the Crown Agents with regard to the future decrease of the charge imposed by the scheme on the Office Funds have so far hardly been realized. The following are the figures taken from the Crown Agents' Accounts :—

Contribution from Office Funds.

£ *. . 2,336 13

Payments by Staff,

£ 8. d.

1896

624 2 C

1897

646 0 4

2,408 16 +

1898

761 3 9

2,339 6 7

1899

739 17 11

2,438 19

X

1900

764 13 N

2,515 2 8

1901

840 17 3

2,665 11 2

1902

904 2 2

2,784 19 4

1903

932 4 2

2,808 12 3

1904

954 18 5

2,832 17 10

1905

931 है *

2,587 18 0

1906

971 11 8

2,590 8 7

1907

1,014 4 2

2,638 S 4

Total, 12

years.

10,888 4 8

30,947 14 1

A. J. H.

2nd April, 1908.

No. IV.

PENSIONS OF CROWN AGENTS AND STAFF,

In their letter of 14th May, 1863, the Crown Agents, in suggesting the establishment of a Reserve Fund, mentioned as one of its functious that from it might be paid "some small pension or gratuity to deserving clerks, who, from length of service or otherwise, might justly have a claim to such consideration.' They went on to say that unless the clerks in this office are considered as having a claim under the Imperial Superannuation Act, the formation of a Reserve Fund for the purposes already stated appears to us to be a matter of simple justice towards them," and that "If no provision of this kind be secured to them either by the Govern ment or the Agents-General they may reasonably expect to be remunerated at rates such as they would obtain in a mercantile establishment, and it is only reasonable to suppose that, failing this, their services in this office would be of short duration."

The Secretary of State and the Treasury agreed that, while neither the Crown Agents themselves nor any member of their establish- ment could be paid superannuation from Imperial Funds, since they were not paid by the Imperial Government out of the Consolidate Fund or from moneys voted by Parliament, nor were they paid by any particular Colony, yet it would be "advantageous to the Colonial Service to give these officers, as nearly as may be found practi- cable, the same advantages in respect to Super- annuation as those possessed by officers of the Imperial Government." The Treasury laid down that "the rates of contribution from the Colonies respectively should be adjusted from time to time so as to meet the clurge" for pensions, "which is to be considered as part of the general expen- diture required for the conduct of the Agency," Treasury and that if the Colonies agreed to this "the to Colonial Agents-General and the officers of their establish- Office.

ment may therefore be considered 21st July,

having a claim upon the general income of the 1863

Agency to superannuation subject to the same conditions as are in force with respect to the Civil Servants of His Majesty's Government. It must be understood, however, as regards the staff who are employed or appointed by the Agents themselves, that this arrangement will not confer upon them any special claim to super- annuation in the event of the Agents being desirous of dispensing with their services on account of incapacity or misconduct, and in all cases it must be fully understood that there can be no claim, under any circumstances, upon Imperial Funds."

as

In the circular despatch of 31st December, 1863 [C. 3075], the Secretary of State stated