P. AND T. EMPLOYEES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 257, 30 October 1929, Page 8

P. AND T. EMPLOYEES.

MASS MEETING PROPOSED. DISCUSSION OF SALARIES. MINISTER MAKES STATEMENT. The feeling of Auckland members of t ; he P. and T. service regarding the Government's refusal to improve their salaries is still running high, and officials of the P. and T. Association declared this morning that members were more than ever convinced, after Saturday evening, that it was the policy of the present Government to allow the departmental heads to dictate the policy of the various departments; Tliey based their remaiks on the statement of the PostmasterGeneral, on the one hand, declaring in Parliament that the post office is out for "service, not profit," whereas the secretary of the Department is, according to them, carrying out the policy of "service and profit" —the slogan of the commercial world. It was stated by officials that a special meeting of postal employees in the Auckland district would be held at an early date to consider the position regarding salaries. Mr. Taverner's Views. Within the last day or two the Dunedin district of the New Zealand P. and T. Association telegraphed the Hon. W. B. Taverncr, M.P. for Dunedin South, requesting him to honour his election pledges regarding the restoration of the "cut!" It received tlie following reply:

"I regret circumstances which operate against general restoration of cuts in the P. and T. Department, but would point out that other departments are ail'ected, including the Railway Department, which is under my control and which has a much larger number of officers than the P. and T. Department. The fact that the Prime Minister, as Minister of Finance, has not found it possible to accede at present to the request, should not be accepted as indicating unwillingness of the Government to improve conditions of public servants. The Government 'has had to give serious attention to relieving the position of men who have been unable to obtain work and whose genuine _ distress entitled them to first consideration. There is also the liability created by the earthquake disaster and which represents a sum not yet fully ascertainable.' It is hardly necessary to point out that the Government resources arc not unlimited, and as a member of the Government I am aware that, as bas been stated by the Minister of Finance, the present Is unfortunately not an opportune time to restore the cuts, if any regard is to be had for the safeguarding of C the country's finances. I desire to assure you that no one would be more pleased than I if the Minister of Finance had found it possible to assist the Civil Service in the direction requested, and I sincerely hope that one of the ultimate results of the measures being taken by the Government to improve the Dominion's financial position will be that •favourable consideration may be given the claims of the service."