POST AND TELEGRAPHS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17227, 18 August 1921, Page 6

POST AND TELEGRAPHS.

RETRENCHMENT SCHEME.

SEDUCTION OF STAPPS.

(SPECIAL TO "THE PP.BSS.")

GREYMOTJTH, August 17. . Mr T. B. Salmon, Chief Relioving Postmaster for the South Island, who is at present relieving at Greymouth, was interviewed to-day in reference.to impending changes in the Post and Telegraph staffs. Mr Salmon was unable to state anything officially,, hut in an informal chat he indicated that drastic steps were being taken in the direction of retrenchment, and it had boen decided to reduce seriously the number of officers in the Department. This was necessary, not only by the call for economy, but owuijf lo the is.'t that, as the Department liad to keep up the full services clurijg w.o war, a number of extra officers wi-re takVi on to fill the places of those who went to the front. At tho couci i i>n cf the war all tho •? turned m>a wer* n instated which, with the falling oii in business, had left the Department with a number of spare officers. As a first 6tep, the Postmaster-General had made a special request to onVtsrs 'sh<. Jad forty yeari or more of servija an',] m> wore entitled to superanaui.H'jn n'UtXtanco, to retire from the si*rw«.e a* or September 30th. Ono f the »hief executive officers of the IVncn* iVfct Office was deputed to into:v : ev all stcli officers, and us most of tlvjse '-lii'-eia fully realise; the posithu the mvitation to retiro had been largely accepted. Mr Salmon could not say exnrtly what officers were affected, but their names wciii-i no doubt ho minlr kn.>wn soon. Mr Salmon, <! r years sorvice to ''.s ciedit. had .to hesitation in offering to letire, and ie will cease his connexion \ ith the Depa 'in-ut it the end of next month. He joined the Department as an operator in 1874, '.t havi.j; |.ri\i< n-ly served in the Telegraph Department in London. He was stationed later nt jilenheim, and then for some years was supervisor of,mails at Auckland. His next step was postmaster at Bluff, and from Blutf he went to Ha vera as |>ofU master. He was promoted to Inspector of Post Offices for -ho (Jante* jurr. West Coast district, and iitcnviiias was chief postmaster at Blenheim and Oamaru, his latest office being that of postmaster for the South Island.

Mr Wirth, postmaster at Reefton. is among those who are retiring, ana also Mr Phil Bevan, who was for many years superintendent of telegraphs at Greymouth, and is at present postmaster at Oamaru, and Mr Stuart, who has been chief postmaster at Hokitika for the past three years. A perusal 0 f the Department's classification list shows that a very large number of executive officers are likely to be affected, and there wbl le very many changes nnd promoters in t.lia staffs of the various offices arid throughout the Dominion during the next two months.

Mr R. Capstick, chief clerk and supervisor of the mailroom at the Ashburton Post Office, retires on superannuation this month. He joined the service on September 12th. 1879, and subsequently neld positions at Port Chalmers, Duuedin, Oamaru, Waimate, and Gore, and has been in Ashburton for six years.