The Argus at KellyGang 7/4/1883 (8)
ROYAL COMMISSION
XII -INCREMENT
Final Report - continued
A quinquennial increment upon the pay of sub-officers and constables after 10 years' service, similar in principle to that allowed to classified civil servants, has been proposed by several witnesses. At present the men receive 6d. per diem increase after 10 years' service, and it is proposed that the amount shall be increased by 6d. a day after every five years successively until 2s. a day extra is reached, when no further increment shall be allowed. This is following the precedent set by the police in Ireland , where an increment of 1½d. per day is granted after each period of five years' service. The increase of pay necessarily implies unimpeachable conduct throughout on the part of the constable whose services it is thus sought to recognise. The advantages arising from holding forth to constables special incentives to zeal and meritorious conduct generally has been regarded as very questionable, as it frequently renders men solicitous rather of obtaining convictions than of striving to discharge their duties conscientiously. The main objection, however, to the adoption of such a proposal is the material increase in the cost of the service thereby necessitated, not only in connexion with the salaries of the men, but in the pensions and compensation allowance of those who retire. Upon this point, therefore, your commissioners refrain from making any recommendation.
XIII -EXTRA EMOLUMENTS
Complaints have been made respecting the existence of a species of monopoly possessed by certain members of the force, of sinecures and offices from which considerable extra emoluments are derived. Thus, special men, selected for the purpose, are placed at important railway stations; in banks, at the General Post Office, and at the Mint, others are employed as inspectors of nuisances, keepers of powder magazines, petty sessions clerks, inspectors of distilleries, &c., by which means their ordinary pay is in some cases substantially supplemented. Many of the witnesses consider that those positions should be conferred for good conduct and for limited periods.. It frequently happens, especially in country districts, that the constable in charge of a station or the senior sub-officer claims those extra emoluments as a right. In some large centres the remuneration attached to the discharge of the duties of inspectors of nuisances is considerable, ranging as high as £100 per annum. Thus, while one man is restricted to his ordinary pay, and perhaps obliged to pay 15s. a week for quarters outside of barracks, others have quarters, fuel, light, and water supplied by the Government, with a handsome bonus from the local bodies in addition. Several of the witnesses were in favour of those emoluments being divided amongst the men in the station, but others considered that the amount so obtainable by each would prove so paltry that the men would hardly care to accept it. The difficulty in dealing with the question arises from the fact that such positions are mainly in the hands of the Government, or of the municipalities, who will not be dictated to in the matter by the police authorities. As to the partition of the emoluments thus obtained it seems out of the question, as it would necessarily involve a divided responsibility and no little confusion in the discharge of the duties demanded. It seems, however, somewhat reasonable to ask that, if there are prizes for distribution in the gift of the police authorities, they should be held out to the men as incentives to efficiency and good conduct, and that they should only be held for a period of five years.
XIV- RETIRING ALLOWANCES
A serious defect exists in the Police Regulation Statute 1873 as regards the payment of the retiring allowance to which the members of the force are equitably entitled. In the event of a constable dying without sending in his resignation or receiving the certificate of a member of the Medical Board, in the form prescribed in the second schedule of the act, his claim upon the Superannuation fund is virtually forfeitce, and his widow and family (if any) thereby lose the amount of compensation, based upon his period of Service, which they would otherwise receive. This was the result of an oversight, and the error was not discovered until some time after the act had been in force. When a man dies from injuries sustained in the execution of his duty, his widow and children, if any, are authorised to receive a gratuity, also if he should be killed in the performance of his duty, but under section 21 a man must be returned as unfit for duty to enable him or those dependent on him to obtain his compensation. Should a man die suddenly from natural causes, without having forwarded his resignation, his family may thus remain for years without obtaining his compensation money, and there have been cases where the amount justly due has never been paid. As soon as the defect was discovered, certain queries, with a view to having the point elucidated, were submitted to the Crown law officers by the then chief commissioner of police (1,902), as follows -"In the event of a member of the force who has become entitled to that gratuity, but who has not sent in a formal application for it, dying suddenly, could his heirs have any claim on the Superannuation Fund for the amount?" The Hon G B Kerfoerd, Attorney General, replied, "He will have no claim in such a case." A further query was then submitted-" If such member of the force were to send in his resignation accompanied by an application for the gratuity he was entitled to at any time before his death, even though his resignation had not been formally accepted, could his claim to the gratuity be held good ? The reply was -" The answer to this will depend upon the special circumstances in each case. If the resignation be sent before death, as a rule it would be given effect to if a widow or children were left." Virtually, therefore, there is no fixed rule in such cases. In order to guard against the contingency of sudden death, some members of the force are said to have their resignations drawn up and signed, with only the date to be attached, so that, in the event of an accident likely to prove fatal, the document can be sent forward at once, and the man's widow and family enabled to obtain any sum to which he may have claim under the act. In the opinion of your commissioners immediate steps should be taken to rectify this glaring injustice. By the deduction of 2½ per cent from the salaries of the police the men acquire equitable rights to compensation on retiring, to which, in case of death, their heirs should become entitled. In all such cases your commissioners consider that the amount of compensation for length of service should be paid to the heirs and assigns of deceased.
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