JUNE 15.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1595

162. Except as may be otherwise provided, employees in occupation of departmental dwellings will be charged rental therefor as assessed by the Permanent Head, and shall not sublet any portion of any such dwelling without the express permission in writing of the Permanent Head first had and obtained: Provided, however, that when any such dwelling is supplied for the use of an employee as a camping-place or in lieu of such employee being paid lodging-allowance no rental for the use of such dwelling will be charged to such employee.

Reduction of Staff.

163. If and whenever the Minister decides that it is necessary to reduce the staff he may order that the services of a specified number of employees shall be dispensed with, and may make such equitable arrangements to give effect to this as he may deem proper.

164. The name of every employee whose services are dispensed with under the provisions of regulation 163, and the position he was occupying in the Department at the time when his services were so dispensed with, and his address in New Zealand, shall be registered in the office of the Permanent Head, and each such employee shall, in order of seniority of service, have the offer of re-employment in any position in the service of the Department for which he is qualified sent to him at his registered address before any other person is admitted into the service to fill such position.

Complaints, &c.

165. All charges against members must be made in writing signed by the complainant in each case, and (when the complainant is an employee of the Department) shall be made to the complainant’s superior officer within seven days after the subject-matter thereof came to the complainant’s knowledge. Failure to comply with any provision of this regulation shall be evidence on which the Permanent Head may decide that a complaint is frivolous or that the complainant is actuated by malice.

166. Any officer to whom any formal complaint is made shall refer the same to the immediate superior officer of the employee against whom the same is made. Such superior officer shall furnish such employee with a written statement of the complaint, and shall obtain his report thereon, and shall forthwith forward such report, together with a copy of the statement of the complaint, to the district controlling officer, who shall, if he considers the matter sufficiently serious, refer the same to the Permanent Head to be dealt with by him in such manner as he deems equitable.

167. If in the opinion of the Permanent Head the circumstances of any charge or complaint are such as to warrant a formal inquiry being made concerning the same, he may appoint two or more persons as a Board to make such inquiry, and he may suspend from duty the person or any or all of the persons implicated pending the investigation and determination of the charge or complaint.

168. On any inquiry under the provisions of regulation 167 all evidence shall be taken on oath and shall be reduced to writing and signed by the witness who gave the same in the presence of the member of the Board of Inquiry who administered the oath to such witness. Any person implicated in the subject-matter of any such inquiry may question the witnesses or any of them, and may give evidence or make any oral or written statement on his own behalf.

169. The records of the evidence, signed by the witnesses, in any such inquiry shall, together with the report of the Board, be transmitted to the Permanent Head.

170. Whenever any member is punished he must be informed in writing by his district controlling officer of the punishment inflicted, and of the offence for which he is so punished.

171. In every case in which an employee is dismissed from the service of the Department all privileges to which he was or had become entitled as such employee shall, subject to the provisions of the Act, be forfeited: Provided that if any ordinary leave of absence had accrued due and had not been granted to such employee prior to his dismissal he may, as the Permanent Head shall determine, be paid a sum not exceeding full pay for such employee for the period of leave so accrued and not granted.

172. Any member or probationer who commits any breach of any regulation or any rule or by-law of the Department, or who is guilty of any other misconduct, may be punished by suspension, reprimand, fine, reduction in status or pay, withholding annual increment of pay, or dismissal.

Appeal.

173. For the conduct of elections of elective members of Appeal Boards and the determination of the proper elective member to sit on any appeal the following provisions shall apply:—

(1.) (i.) All members of Division II employed in the Stores Branch shall be deemed to be members of the Traffic Branch.

(ii.) All members of Division II employed in the Signal Branch shall be deemed to be members of the Workshops Branch.

(iii.) Members of Division II employed in the Maintenance workshops shall be deemed not to be members of the Maintenance Branch.

(iv.) The Workshops Branch shall comprise all members of Division II employed in the Signal Branch and in the Maintenance workshops and in the Locomotive Branch other than those mentioned in paragraph (v) hereof.

(v.) The Locomotive Running Branch shall include all members who are classified as depot-charge-men, engine-drivers, night foremen of cleaners, firemen, or cleaners.

(2.) There shall be prepared by the Permanent Head and retained at the Head Office in Wellington ten separate voting-lists, as follows:—

(a.) One of all members of Division I resident in the North Island.

(b.) One of all members of the Traffic Branch of Division II resident in the North Island.

(c.) One of all members of the Workshops Branch of Division II resident in the North Island.

(d.) One of all members of the Locomotive Running Branch of Division II resident in the North Island.

(e.) One of all members of the Maintenance Branch of Division II resident in the North Island.

(f.) One of all members of Division I resident in the South Island.

(g.) One of all members of the Traffic Branch of Division II resident in the South Island.

(h.) One of all members of the Workshops Branch of Division II resident in the South Island.

(i.) One of all members of the Locomotive Running Branch of Division II resident in the South Island.

(j.) One of all members of the Maintenance Branch of Division II resident in the South Island;

and all such lists may be inspected by members at all reasonable times.

(3.) Each such list shall be arranged in alphabetical order of the surnames of the members shown therein.

(4.) If any member wishes to take any objection to any list, particulars of such objection must be communicated through his immediate superior officer to the Permanent Head, who shall decide the same, and whose decision thereon shall be final.

(5.) No objection to any such list shall be entertained unless it reaches the Permanent Head not later than the third day before the day on which the lists are to be closed. The lists shall be closed for the purposes of each election on the forty-ninth day before the day fixed for such election, and shall continue closed until the election is completed.

(6.) Ordinary elections shall be held on the first Monday in the month of March last preceding the date of expiry of the term for which the elective members were elected in each case respectively.

(7.) Extraordinary elections shall be held on dates to be fixed by the Permanent Head, being in no case later than three months after the vacancy necessitating the election occurs, and he shall give to all members of the division or branch concerned not less than two months’ previous notice of the date so fixed.

(8.) Nominations shall be made in writing by not less than three members whose names appear in the same list as that of the nominee, and shall be made only with the consent of the nominee, such consent being endorsed on the nomination-paper and signed by such nominee, and nominations must reach the Returning Officer at Wellington not later than the thirty-fifth day before the day fixed for the election in respect of which the nominations are made in each case respectively. Any nomination which fails to comply with the provisions of this subclause shall be void.

(9.) Only members of the Department whose names appear on any such list as aforesaid shall be entitled to and any such member may vote for one member duly nominated to represent the division or branch the names of the members of which are set forth in the list in which the voter’s name appears: Provided that the validity of any election shall not be questioned on the ground that a name wrongly appears on any such list or has been wrongly omitted therefrom.

(10.) Should only one member be duly nominated for any one elective seat on either Board, that member shall be declared to be duly elected.

(11.) Should there be more than one member duly nominated for any one seat on either Board, a ballot shall be taken.

(12.) The Returning Officer for each election shall be the Chief Clerk in the Head Office of the Department or other person for the time being performing the duties of such Chief Clerk. The Permanent Head shall appoint two scrutineers for each election, one from each division of the Department.