P. & T. SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 37, 7 November 1933, Page 8

P. & T. SERVICE

Tribute by Minister CONFERENCE OPENS Relations With Government The biennial conference of the Post and Telegraph Employees’ Association, which is representative of a membership of 7000 in the Dominion, opened in the Dominion Farmers’ Institute yesterday morning, under the presidency of Mr. W. F. Kent-Johnston, of Hamilton. There were 34 delegates present, and after the formal business had been disposed of, the conference was visited by the Hon. Adam Hamilton, Postmaster-General, and Mr. G. McNamara, secretary of the department, who delivered addresses of welcome and expressed hopes that the conference would prove fruitful to the officers of the service and helpful to the administration. The Minister referred to the strained relations that had for a time existed between the Government and the association, but although the association was comprised of officers of the P. and T. Department, he was pleased to be able to say, from his close personal knowledge of the facts, that the disagreement had not in any way affected the splendid standard of efficient and loyal service the department as a whole rendered to the Government and to the community. That was saying a lot for-the officers who had made it possible for the Government to rely on the P. and T. Department to shoulder extra burdens in this time of national stress, and he wanted to emifliasize the confidence Government had in the advice and organising ability of the permanent head of the department, Mr. McNamara. He wanted to admit, too, that since he had become their Minister he had found that officers of the department were not well paid for the services they rendered, and although he would not go so far as to say that they had a champion for all their claims in him, he could say in all sincerity that when the time was opportune for the Government to consider making improvements he would urge the case for better salaries in recognition of the efficient services rendered. Help to Government. Moreover, the P. and T. Department was a State Department that not only paid its own way but it had come to the assistance of the Government with a sum of just on one million pounds in 1931-32, and again with £500,000 last year, so when the country was out of its economic difficulties that fact should be remembered in considering improvements for the employees. However, continued the Minister, the Government was still facing great difficulties, although those who travelled overseas could vouch for them being no greater, and perhaps not as great proportionately, as the difficulties facing many other countries. There were, some signs of improvement, although not definite enough yet to justify any relaxation of the strict economy and savings the Government was bent upon. In a few instances there were movements for restoring previous cuts in wages, which some were making a lot of as the coming of a new Outlook on the question of spending power for the people in its relation to internal trade; but although it was probable that many ideas previously held to be sound would give way ultimately in the solution of the world-wide economic problems, he could hold out no hope for anything in the nature of restored ‘‘cuts” to Civil Servants until national finance was in a much better position than it unfortunately was in at the present time. Curbing the Impetuous Spirit. Reverting to the matter of the disagreement between the Government and the association, the Minister said be hoped that the conference would ratify the settlement reached by the association’s executive, and that the future relations would be cordial and businesslike. He approved the principle of trade unionism and such like organisations, but he thought the main trouble was to curb the impetuous spirit and coniine the efforts of organisations to what was reasonable of attainment under the circumstances as they existed. This was true of many organisations he had had experience of himself, and he had no doubt it was a problem the officials of the P. and T. Association were well acquainted with. However, he desired to assure the delegates that there was no bad feeling remaining so far as the Government was concerned over the differences that had existed, and he hoped that those differences were happily ended. Question of Regrading. Mr. G. McNamara gave the conference information concerning business statistics that would probably have a bearing on some of the remits to come up for discussion. He acknowledged that although next year would mark the end of a quinquennial period when the service was due for regrading, it would be difficult to do much in this direction with national finances continuing in their present depressed condition, but he was hopeful by the time the review of the service gradings was complete a general improvement in the outlook for the country would make* any proposals he had for service expenditure acceptable to the Government. '. He was leaving very soon for the Postal Congress being held at Cairo early next year, and any regrading; undertaken would not be decided definitely until his return, but officers must rest content witli the knowledge that any improvements authorised would take effect from April 1, 1934, as provided for by the P. and T. Act. On the Minister and secretary departing, the conference settled down to consideration of remits, and it is anticipated that the deliberations may continue till the end of this week.