2174

(b.) To officers called on to perform telegraph duties for Press-
work on Sunday at the following offices—namely, Feilding,
Hawera, Kaikoura, Lyttelton, Marton, Onehunga, Port
Chalmers, Reefton, Rotorua, Taihape, and Waitara.
32. Overtime for fractional portions of the first or any hour
is to be computed on the following basis : No allowance will be
made to officers of either branch of the service unless the attend-
ance exceeds fifteen minutes. Attendance up to forty-five minutes
will count as half an hour ; over forty-five minutes as one hour.
No overtime payment will be made for midnight cable Press
attendance, or for the attendance of any staff specially appointed
for the sorting of mails between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
33. Overtime payable to an officer drawing an allowance under
Classification Regulations 16, 17, or 18 is to be paid on the basis of
the classification salary plus the allowance.
34. No payment for overtime for services other than those pro-
vided for by these regulations shall be allowed except in cases of extra-
ordinary or exceptional attendance, and then only on the special
authority of the Commissioner.
35. No person will be made any special allowance for doing any
kind of work for which he is paid as for work done in overtime.
36. When it is necessary at any telegraph-office to relieve a
number of officers for military or other duty, a special duty-sheet
should be prepared providing for a minimum daily duty of seven
hours per officer. On such occasions, when payment for overtime
has been authorized, the claim will be recognized only after the
claimant has performed the minimum duty of seven hours.
37. In lieu of payment for overtime it shall be optional for
the Commissioner to allow an equivalent reduction of ordinary duty
either immediately before or immediately after the overtime duty
is performed, at the rate of an hour and a half for every hour of over-
time worked on Sunday, and at the rate of an hour for an hour at all
other times.
38. Overtime to non-permanent officers is not to exceed ls. 6d.
an hour, except to tradesmen under award rates.
39. All claims for overtime worked during the preceding four or
five weeks, as the case may be, must be prepared on the first Monday
in each month, and must be submitted to the Permanent Head through
the Chief Accountant before payment is made. Neglect of this instruc-
tion will render the certifying officer liable for any amount erroneously
paid. Overtime on Sundays is only to count from the time officers
are required to be on duty—namely, 9.30 a.m. and 5 p.m.—unless
the officers are ordered to attend earlier. This instruction must
also be observed in regard to holiday overtime as far as it is applicable.
Claims for overtime in respect of telephone-exchange officers and
for holiday duty are to be rendered separately, and not included
in the monthly claim. Vigilance is necessary to ensure that no
officer is detained on overtime longer than is absolutely necessary,
especially on Sundays and holidays. All claims for overtime must
be closely scrutinized, and certifying officers will be held responsible
for passing avoidable overcharges on to the Permanent Head. The
hours during which extra duty was performed must be shown in the
claim opposite the name of each officer, in addition to the total
number of hours worked, the annual salary, and the rate per hour.
40. An officer will not, through passing an efficiency examination,
be allowed to claim arrears of overtime payments at a higher rate
from the date on which he becomes entitled to an increase of salary
by that means.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR RECREATION.

41. Every officer in the Department and every temporary
    employee, if circumstances should arise necessitating the retention
    of such employee in the service for more than a year, may be granted
    by the Permanent Head annual leave of absence for recreation on the
    following scale :-
    (a.) When an officer has served for ten years or upwards—not
    exceeding twenty-one working-days
    (b.) When he has served less than ten years—not exceeding
    fourteen working-days in each year.
    (c.) Telegraph message-boys—not exceeding eight working-days,
    after one year's complete service.