AFTER FORTY YEARS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 295, 8 September 1924, Page 8

AFTER FORTY YEARS

VETERAN RAILWAY OFFICER’S RETIREMENT. After 43 years’ service with the Railway Department, Mr. J. 0. Day, rates clerk at the head office, retired from the service on August 31. Mr. Day joined as a cadet at Port Chaimers on October 15, 1881, and in 1888 was transferred to Greytown, and was promoted to be stationmaster there in the following year. In 1890, he went to Greymouth as relieving officer, and served, at Westport in the .same capacity during that year. lu 1891 he was transferred to Mauriceville as stationmaster, and in 1893 went to Bluff as chief clerk. He came to Wellington as relieving officer in 1898, and in 1901 became a clerk in the head office. He was appointed rates clerk at the head office in 1915, and held this position until he retired upon superannuation at the end. of last month. A large gathering of officers assembled at the head office on Thursday to farewell Mr. Day, and the esteem in which he was held was proved by the fact that he was presented with a rag. gold-mounted cigarette holder, umbrella, and gold watch chain. Mr. R. W. McVilly, general manager of the New Zealand Railways, in making the presentations, said that from the time Mr. Day joined the service until he had to “pass in his checks,” he had done his diwv faithfullv and well to the Department. “He has had a good deal of the rough,” said AJr. McVilly, “and’ I hope he is going ‘to have a good deal of the smooth. He, like some of the other old-timers, has bad to shin up ladders and collect signal lamps, go out and light them in all sorts of weather, take his turn at shunting and. do many other things that the railway cadet of to-day-knows nothing of and that many of the railway porters of to-day would regard as being me-, nial work. In the days when Mr. Daj’ joined the service nothing was too menial or too common for the men to do, and if the work was dirty —well they did it.” Proceeding, the general manager said that Mr. Day carried with him the best wishes of every member of the staff for his future happiness and good health,’ and they all trusted that he would live long to enjoy the privileges of superannuation, which he had -well earned. Messrs. J. Mason and Sterling also paid high tributes to Mr. Day’s worth as a railway officer. Mr. Day, in returning thanks, voiced his appreciation of the many little kindnesses which had been extended to him during the years he had been associated with the service, particularly mentioning Mr. Thomson.