P. AND T. APPOINTMENTS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16406, 28 December 1918, Page 4

P. AND T. APPOINTMENTS.

MR R. B. MORRIS THE NEW

ASSISTANT-hMIRETARY,

By the death of Mr P. V. Waters, the position of Assistant-Secretary to the Post and Telegraph Department became vacant. This office has now been filled by the appointment of Mill. 13. promoted from the position of Chier Inspector. Mr 11. B. Morris (who is a brother of Mr W. 11. Morris, secretary of the Department) joined the service as a cadet at Timaru on December 6th, 1875, so that he has already over 43 years' service to his credit. Two years after he joined up he went to Christchurch, and in 187 D became a clerk. Ten years later lie was transferred to Auckland..ln 1891 he became associated with the Money Order and Savings Bank side of the business, 1903 saw him promoted to be second clerk, and in 1901 he was raised to the position of senior clerk in the Money Order branch. Two years later he became chief clerk at Christchurch. In 1907 he -was appointed Assistant-Chief Postmaster at Christchurch. and the next year at Wellington. In July, 1911, Mr Morris was appointed Chief Postmaster at Christchurch, a poßt ho held until be was appointed Chief Inspector in 1915. Since September of this year he has been acting as assistant-secretary. He is an officer of all-round ability, a fine accountant, and a good administrator and organiser (says the "Dominion"). It was he who was sent to Samoa by the New Zealand Government to put the postal business on a sound basis. Before that was done there was a good deal of complaining about the manner in -which mails were bandied, but soon after Mr Morris's visit the service became as efficient as. could be desired, considering the restricted shipping connexions between Australia, New Zealand, and the Samoan Group. He was also the officor who conducted the enquiry into the affairs of the Defence Stores Department during the war. Mr J. C. Williamson, at present Chief Postmaster at Auckland, will succeed Mr R. B. Morris as Chief Inspector. Mr Williamson, who is well-known in Wellington bowling circles as a keen ex-member of the Ke!burn Club, joined the Postal Service

at Outram (Otago) ou July Ist, 1577, and worked through the lower clerical grades for ten years until appointed Postmaster at Duvaucheile (Banks Peninsula) in 1888." The following year he was transferred to the staff ot the General Post Office in '"Wellington, was correspondence clerk, and became second clerk at Head Office in 1907, and chief clerk four years later. He was promoted to be Chief Postmaster at Auckland in April, 1916, in succession to Major F. D. Holdsworth, now in charge of the Postal Servico ■with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (in England), wlir is about to be relieved bv Major G. I; Ball, now. en route to the Old Country. The appointment of a successor to Mr Williamson at Auckland has not yet been made.