LETTER CARRIERS' DINNER.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 142, 18 December 1905, Page 3

LETTER CARRIERS' DINNER.

The Wellington Letter Carrier Staff held its annual dinner at Goodall's on Saturday evening. The function was, presided over by Mr. J. Johnson, clerk in charge of the staff, and there were in attendance Mr. T. Rose, Inspector of Post Offices, Mr. J. A. Hutton, Chief Post Master, a number of other officials and about 50 members of different postal btaffs. Letters oi apology were received from Mr. W. Gray, Secretary to the Post Office, who is at present indisposed, and Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.H.R. The gathering was marked by good-fellowship and was a success in every way. A number of toa&ts were honoured, and items of entertainment were given by Messrs. Scully, Jones, J. A. Ilutton, Scott, F. V. Waters, Meek, Dickie, G. Redmond, Brooker, Hollis, Parker, Hannan, and Harris. The accompaniments were played by Mr. E. J. King. Shortly before 10.30 Sir Joseph Ward, Postmas-ter-General, who had been detained by departmental matters, appeared at the gathering, and was received with prolonged applause. In responding to the toast of his health, Sir Joseph said that tho Post and Telegraph Department had developed into the most important department in tho country. When they considered the fact that it had to do with the arrival of tho young people and the discharge of the old people, and the carrying on of the affairs of the people now in the world, one wondered what the people of the Post and Telegraph Service nad not to do. They could, in New Zealand, without any egotism, say that their postal service— for all-round arrangements, for general organisation, and for contentment amongst the staffs— was diirpassed by none, if -equalled by any. There were, he said, many improvements that could yet be made ifl the rank and file of the service co-operated as it had in the past. He referred to the universal penny postage system, and announced that a cablegram had been received from the PostmasterGeneral of Egypt stating that from the 15th of this month they were prepared to discharge letters from Egypt at tho rate of the nimble penny. In conclusion, he thanked the letter-carriers' staff for inviting him to be present, and wished the members of this and other branches of the service a pleasant and a prosperous future .