CO129-534-3 Report of Retrenchment Commission 4-5-1931 - 19-2-1932 — Page 40

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indication as to where or how the reduction is to be made,

not very helpful.

is

The only indication that has been given is

If there

that no reductions at all are to be made in certain departments.

The Imports and Exports Department (including the Statistical

Branch) with more than eighty clerks is one of the se.

is to be no cut in a department with such a large clerical staff,

a far larger cut than 20% will have to be made in other departments,

if a general reduction of 20% is to be obtained. The Commissioners

apparently did not examine the heads of departments, who gave

evidence before them, as to how their respective clerical staffs

were employed.

The Subordinate Staff Board composed of the Treasurer,

Post Master General, Head of the Sanitary Department and the

2nd Assistant Colonial S cretary went into this question most

carefully, department by department, and officer by officer. They

have only recently concluded their enquiries, and as a result a

saving of only thirteen posts has been found to be possible.

COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE:

Paragraphs 1 - 6:

Government accepts the criticism

that there has been 'over centralisation' in the Secretariat.

Permits to occupy Crown land, rent allowances, house allowances,

dental treatment allowances, indents on the Crown Agents, have

been removed from the Colonial Secretary's Office either wholly

or to the greatest extent possible. On the other hand it has

been found that Colonial Regulations, which are imposed on all

Crown Colonies, prevent decentralisation in such matters as the

appointment of officers, unless they are non-pensionable, i.e.

in receipt of a salary of $300 or less per annum.

Paragraph 7.

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