Letter Deliveries

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 270, 10 August 1943, Page 4

Letter Deliveries

Sir, —Five postmen, earning £4/19/6 a week net. have for some months been diverted from their “walks” and put on to delivering telegrams round the city in Wellington. Girls and young women, earning approximately half the postmen’s wages, replace them on letter delivering. Two and three girls are needed where one man was employed. We are told that the reason for the diversion is shortage in the telegraph branch, but surely this position-could have been better met by putting one girl on telegram deliveries for each person so required instead of taking experienced postmen off their “walks.” Further, postwomen have to carry heavy bags; telegrams are infinitely, light in comparison, as is also the work entailed. —I ant, etc. —“ONE OF THE POSTMEN.” . Wellington. August 5. (A copy of the above letter was referred to the Chief Postmaster, Wellington, who has made the following statement: “The position is serious and the necessity for the transfer of a few postmen, to telegramdeliverv duties has been brought about by the inability of the department to secure sufficient young boys or girls for tele-gram-delivery duties. As the work to be undertaken involves a certain amount of night duty, It cannot be undertaken wholly by women, though at the present time approximately 20 women are engaged on tele-gram-dellverv work. Many more women could be absorbed if they were available In peacetime, up to SO boys are utilized in the delivery of telegrams, but at the present time only 10 young boys and girts are available for the work. To replace the postmen who are performing the telegram work the postmen’s walks have been realigned and. in most cases, three post* women are doing the work formerly undertaken by two postmen. The position really resolves Itself into the need tor the department to make the maximum use oi the staff available.”]