SUPPORT NEEDED

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 91, 17 April 1923, Page 11

SUPPORT NEEDED

POST AND TELEGRAPH

OFFICERS

ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS

Members of the Wellington section of the New Zealand Post and Telegraph" Officers' Association held their ann.ua! meeting in the Dominion Farmers' Institute last evening. Mr. T. F. Falconer presided:.

The annual report stated that the numerical strength of the section, including non-permanent members, was now 1260, as against 1432 for last year. The decrease was due to resignations arising out of the Alliance of Labour affiliation question. The time had arrived, said the report, when those members who hastily, and in many cases unthinkingly, resigned at that time shoald.be asked to reconsider their position. It should now be quite evident to all officers of the Service that the association, in endeavouring to strengthen its position in order to combat the threatened salary " cutß " and to maintain decent working conditions, Bad been merely performing one of its essential duties. 'Exmembers should surely realise also that they were not likely to bo led into conflict with the Government or the Administration by any^ unconstitutional act on the part of the association. The association needed, their support, and was clearly entitled to it. Eeference was also made to the cost of living and salary cuts. If. was stated that members were still smarting under the grave injustice inflicted upon them by the operation of the Public Service Expenditure Adjustment Act. The first and second salary

"cuts," said the report, "were, unjustified when they ware made, as they would be (as proved by the Statistician's' figures) unjustified to-day. Happily we were enabled, by the activity of the various Service organisations, and with the untiring support of a number of-members of the House of Representatives, to lessen the severity of the first and second cuts and to obtain the indefinite postponement of the third. The association is under a deep debt of gratitude to those M.P.'s who fought so ceaselessly and whole-heartedly on our behalf to defeat the injustice of the proposed Adjustment Act."

In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, the chairman said that it said much for the Service that there had not been any trouble, during the year, as they had had to suffer considerable disabilities. It was an everlasting disgrace to tho Maseey Government that the children of members of the Service had had to forfeit not only the luxuries of life, but the necessities of life, in order that rebates might be given to wealthy taxpayers. There hnd been many resignations during the year, but he felt that members generally realised that their interests were identical with those of tho association. He urged members to loyally support the now committee, as it was only in that way that the interest of the association could be served.

Mr. G. D. Brown, who seconded the motion, expressed the opinion that the dubious victory of the Government was partly due to the stand taken by the Post and Telegrapli Association. If they stuck together, Civil servants could exercise a very great power in the country. The lesson of the General. Election should always be kept steadily in view, and no matter what Government was in power—Reform, Liberal, or Labour—they would be able to force from the Government those reforms which were necessary for their welfare. (Applause.) The motion was adopted without further discussion. .