Jamaica’s political system is maturing. In 1953 this was also true and The Gleaner was there as announcements about much-needed structural adjustments and investments in ministries were made that, today, seem standard for the normal functions of the organisations.

Published March 4, 1953 Page 1

Ministry Staffing Plan Approved

• 68 Additional Officers – and New posts

• Total Cost  £36,000 ; House Gets Details

Increased annual expenditure of approximately   £ 36,000 is involved in the staffing of the eight Ministries which will be established shortly in connection with the constitutional advance to become effective later this year.

The House of Representatives yesterday approved the creation of new posts to staff the Ministries and the additional expenditure involved, simultaneously as members received copies of a booklet issued by the Government Printer, containing the Governor’s three broadcasts on the changes.            

The new Ministries, which Government now hopes to establish before the 1953-54 budget is considered by the Legislature, will each be staffed by a Permanent Secretary and administrative, clerical and stenographic staff.

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The proposals were worked out by the Public Service Commission and yesterday’s approval by the House cleared the way for appointments to the new posts so that arrangements for establishment of the Ministries can be quickly completed.

Departmental

Involved in the establishment of the Ministries are some departmental changes particularly in the Labour Department, the Education Department, the Department of Commerce and Industries, and the Secretariat.

Details of the proposals sent down from the Executive Council to the House of Representatives indicate that the Director of Education, the Commissioner of Commerce and Industries and the Labour Adviser will fill the positions of Permanent Secretaries to the Ministers who will take charge of these Departments.

Other Departmental heads will continue to work under the Ministries, while the posts of Social Welfare Adviser and his clerical assistant are slated for abolition.                                                                                                                                                                           

In the Education Department, the positions of Deputy Director of Education – Administration and Development – have been upgraded from £1,200 to  £1,344  and the Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry will be concerned chiefly with Social Welfare. The two Deputy Directors replace the posts of Director of Education and his two deputies.

In the Labour Department, the present establishment of a Labour Adviser, a Deputy Labour Adviser, an Assistant Labour Adviser and six senior Labour Officers, will be replaced by a Deputy Labour Adviser at a salary of £1,205  instead of  £1,100.

Assistant  LAs

There will be two Assistant Labour Advisers (£ 950-60-£1,050) instead of ( £ 795-25-920), two Chief Labour Officers( £795-25-920) a new post, one Factory Inspector in the same grade, also a new post, and five Senior Labour Officers.

The Department of Commerce and Industries is to be re-named the Marketing Department.

In place of a Commissioner of Commerce and Industries, a Deputy Commissioner and two Assistant Commissioners, there will be one Market Administrator at a salary of  £1,300, being  £100 more than that attached to the Deputy Commissioner and three Assistant Marketing Administrators at a salary of  £ 850-50- £1,150.

Altogether, the changes proposed involve the appointment of 68 additional officers, eleven of them in five new posts.  Of these new posts, seven officers will be appointed to the rank of Permanent Secretary.

 

The eighth Ministry, that of Finance, is to be headed on the staff side by the Financial Secretary, having under him two officers, one designated under Secretary (Finance), a new post, and the other the Under Secretary (Economics).

 

New Posts

There will be in addition, four Principal Assistant Secretaries to a total of eight, a new post of Establishment Officer, five additional Assistant Secretaries to a total of 15, four additional Administrative Assistants to a total of 32; a new post of Private Secretary to the Chief Minister; two additional Administrative Assistants (Cadet) to a total of four.

Also listed are ten additional secretary-stenographers to a total of 22; five additional Second Class Clerks, six additional stenographers and typists; four more Third Class Clerks; a new post of driver at the Secretariat; four more Telephone Operators, Grade II; four additional orderlies and nine additional cleaners.

Each Ministry will be officered by a Permanent Secretary, the Financial Secretary in the case of the Finance Ministry, a Principal Assistant Secretary, and an Assistant Secretary.