TELEGRAPH INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 80, 28 December 1929, Page 10

TELEGRAPH INQUIRY

SIX MEN DISMISSED BETTING BY OFFICB; TELEPHONES Dominion Special Service. Auckland, December 27. Notice of their dismissal was received by six members of the operating room staff at the Chief Post Office in Auckland, following an inquiry instituted by the Post and Telegraph Department into the conduct of nine officers who, it was alleged, had used office telephones in laying bets on races at the Takapuna Jockey Club’s meeting on November 30 and December 2. The inquiry was held in the Magistrate’s Court by Mr. F. K. Hunt,.S.M., and was closed to the Press and the public. The men who have been dismissed, four of whom are operators and two • distributors, had been in the service between 15 and- 34 years, one of them being due to retire in 14 months’ time on superannuation. The amount the men have paid into the superannuation fund during their period of service may be forfeited should the Department so decide, and it is not known what the position is in this respect. The allegations against the meu were made after two departmental inspectors had listened in through secret wires on telephones in the telegraph office and had taken notes with which they confronted members of the staff. About 40 officers were questioned and >•' a number of. these admitted breaches of the regulations. Nine denied the allegations which were made against - • them and the matter was placed before the Secretary of the Department, Mr. G. ‘McNamara, who was unable to de- ' cide the men’s guilt or otherwise on the f acts in his possession and ordered a Magisterial inquiry. This inquiry was held by Mr. Hunt about three weeks ago and lasted for four days. Each case was heard separately, the men being represented by Mr. Allan Moody, assisted by Mr. W. H. Brown, an - executive member of the Post and Telegraph Employees’ Asociation, while the Department was represented by Mr. V. R. Meredith, Crown Solicitor, and Mr. Ogilvie, one of the departmental inspectors concerned. A large dumber of witnesses were called, and at the conclusion of the inquiry the Magistrate sent his finding in each ease to the secretary of the Department. The Penalty. The penalty in the cases of those men who were found guilty rested in the hands of Mr. McNamara, who to-day gave his decision in the instances of the six men who were dismissed. The ■ penalty in the cases of the other men who admitted their when they were confronted and have not yet been punished, has jet to be made known 'direct to the men concerned by Mr. McNamara, who is at present in Wellington. In addition to dismissal, the manner in which he can punish misconduct includes the imposition of fines, regrading to lower level, and forfeiture of leave of absence. It was stated that the six officers concerned intended to take the matter a further stage by placing it before the Post and Telegraph Appeal Board. They have thirty days in which to send in their applications to be heard, and these are forwarded to the secretary, together with the grounds of appeal. The secretary is bound to inform the board, together with his answer to the case. The board usually sits shortly after the application has been sent in, and comprises a Magistrate, a -representative appointed by the Department, and an employees’ representative, who has been chosen by ballot to sit. Applicants may appear either in person or by representative, and are allowed to hear evidence brought against the application, which is led by the Crown Solicitor or some .other counsel appearing for the Department in opposition to the appeal.