THE TELEGRAPH OFFICERS' DISSATISFACTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 302, 18 December 1912, Page 8

THE TELEGRAPH OFFICERS' DISSATISFACTION.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day. Dealing with the reported discontent in the branch of the Post Offioe, owinj; to the Chief Telegraph Engineer having been classified below the Assistant Secretary, the Postmaster-General states that these officers have written expressing satisfaction with the new Act. If the engineers have any grievance whatsoever lie is prepared to give any representations his fullest consideration, but, in the face of the letter referred to from the Chief Telegraph and of .another from principal engineers, it would not appear that there is any grievance. Any references made to the organisation o: the department under which the C'liipf Telegraph Engineer has been numerically below the Assistant Secretary will not apply in future. When the Chief Telegraph V.nffineer was appointed he was junior to' the Assistant Secretary; now the Chief Telegraph Engineer naturally becomes senior in rank to any junior officer who m-av be appointed. It has been the Postmaster-Gene-intention all aloncr to carry this out, and for that reason he contemplates deferring the fillinjr of vacancies until the Public Service Act comes into force.

It appears from inquiries made in Auckland that the position is not exactly as has beeu represented in Press telegrams. The chief telegraph engineer has no administrative power, aod it is not desired by the service that he should have, a.s the technical side fully absorbs his time. It is claimed that the telegraph and telephone sections, comprising about two-thirds of the whole stalling, is practically unrepresented in the administration, owing to the positions at the head being occupied solely by postal officers without special knowledge of the conditions and requirements of this section of the service. The telegraph section contains most of the officers holding technical and scholastic certificates, and these are claiming more consideration than at present owing to possessing the higher qualifications. A number of positions in the postal section have been advanced in status and salary, while important teleprapii positions carrying responsibilities of a serious kind are being overlooked. What is desired is the creation of a telegraph assistant secretary to deal with the administration of the telegraph and telephone branches. The question of the relative position of the chief engineer is one that rights itself under the existing regulations and is not in any way causing dissatisfaction to the service as a whole.