1092

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 29

213. Temporary officers are entitled to statutory holidays and to fourteen days’ annual leave in each year after one year’s service, subject to the general regulations governing annual leave. They are not entitled to any other leave.

214. In the case of officers holding positions superior to that of telegraph message-boy, any time served as telegraph message-boy will be reckoned in computing the length of service for annual-leave purposes.

215. No officer shall be entitled to claim leave of absence as a right, and if for any cause the Secretary thinks such leave ought not to be granted, he may refuse the same in any case, subject to the approval of his action by the Minister.

216. When an officer is absent from duty through sickness on a Saturday, and resumes on the following Monday, the intervening Sunday is not to be considered as part of such officer’s sick-leave. His absence amounts to one day. As a general rule, special leave granted to officers to enable them to visit their homes or otherwise absent themselves from duty on account of serious illness in their families, is to be deducted from annual leave.

217. An officer failing to avail himself of the annual leave provided will not on that account be entitled to a more lengthened leave in any subsequent year, unless under special circumstances approved by the Minister.

218. In cases of illness or other pressing necessity the Minister may grant to any officer such extended leave, not exceeding twelve months, and on such terms, as he thinks fit.

219. The Governor may, on the recommendation of the Minister, grant to any officer in the Department of at least ten years’ continuous service twelve months’ leave of absence, and to any officer of lesser period of service any time not exceeding six months’ leave of absence, on half salary. During such period of absence no officer shall be entitled to receive any annual increment.

220. Where it has been decided to dispense with the services of any officer, he shall not be entitled to any leave of absence, either at the time or in contemplation of his services being so dispensed with; nor shall any officer who retires from the service upon a superannuation allowance be granted more than three months’ leave of absence immediately prior to or in contemplation of such retirement, except in case of physical or mental infirmity, when the Governor may grant such further leave as the circumstances justify.

221. Officers voluntarily retiring shall not be entitled to leave on or immediately prior to retirement.

222. The annual-leave-of-absence schedules are required to be prepared in duplicate by Chief Postmasters, Telegraph Engineers, and the Officers in Charge at Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Wellington, who, after personally scrutinizing and approving of or correcting them, will forward one copy, showing the leave granted, to the Secretary not later than the 15th day of December in each year. Thereafter they will themselves be responsible for the release of officers for the proper period without further reference to the Secretary.

223. Application form P.O. 85 is not required from officers at chief post or telegraph offices, except when special leave is applied for; but officers at all other permanent offices must forward applications to their respective chief offices not later than the 3rd December. Under the heading of “Leave taken for the previous year,” the number of days of sick and special leave must be shown as from the 1st January to the 30th November. At the end of the year the schedule held by the local controlling officer is to be carefully revised, and any deduction necessary on account