NINE CHARGED.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 307, 28 December 1929, Page 7

NINE CHARGED.

SIX DISMISSED. I. ' . ONE FOUND NOT GUILTY. TWO EXPLAIN SATISFACTORILY NOT CHARGED WITH BETTING STATEMENT BY SECRETARY. (By Telegraph.—Special to " Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. Discussing to-day the dismissal from the service of six' of nine officers of the Post and Telegraph Department, against whom charges were laid of using the office telephones to lay bets on races at the Takapuna Jockey Club's meeting on November 30 and December 2, the secretary of .the Post Office (Mr. G. McNamara) said that in the case.of each of the men who has been dismissed the right to superannuation is forfeited in accordance with the Public Service regulations. They would be entitled, of course, to a refund of their payments into the superannuation fund. All had a right to appeal against the decision, notice of appeal being required to be made within one month. In regard to the other three men against whom allegations had been made, Mr. McNamara said one had been found not guilty, while the others had explained themselves satisfactorily. One of the latter was a boy, a distributor, who appeared to have been influenced in his offence by his elders. He was being punished by relieving liim of distributing work and putting hiin on to other duties. Discussing Race Matters. The organiser of the Post and Telegraph Employees' Association, Mr. H. H. Brown, who. was one of two representatives of the association at the magisterial inquiry, remarked to-day that the penalty inflicted was a severe one when one considered the nature of the charges. The general idea seemed to be that the allegations consisted of charges of betting with bookmakers, but, he said, he wished to make it quite clear that that was contrary to fact. The men concerned were charged with discussing racing matters over the telephone. There was nothing in the nature of laying bets in that. What they had done was nothing very serious. Mr. Brown said that the secretary ui the Department had arrived at his decision as the result of the magistrate's finding, and, in fairness to the men concerned, Mr. Hunt's findings should be made known. So far, he said, officers had not been so informed. Dismissed officers had a right of appeal against the secretary's decision, and there was no doubt that they would avail themselves of that opportunity. "