WELLINGTON STATION MASTER

Evening Star, Issue 23563, 30 April 1940, Page 10

WELLINGTON STATION MASTER

RETIREMENT OF MR ORTON [Per United Psebs Association.] ■ ■ WELLINGTON, April 29. Station master,at Wellington during the busiest period experienced by the Railways; Department" for many years, Mr A. Orton retired, on superannuation at the end of last week after completing 40 years’ service. He was appointed station master at Wellington on May 16, 1938, and was in charge of the station during; the exceptionally busy months which followed the opening of the Centennial Exhibition last November. .Special.troop trains intermingled with the heavy holiday traffic added to. the responsibilities of the station master and his 'staff. /. Mr Orton’S' successor, Mr R. S. Allwnght, formerly station master 'at Wanganui, has taken up his new duties.' After joining the railway service in Christchurch on April 26, 1900, Mr Orton was a cadet in Canterbury till 1905, when he went to Lyttelton as clerk. In 1910 he was appointed assistant relieving officer at Christchurch, and in 191? was transferred to Oxford East, also 7in Canterbury, as station master. Six years later he became station? master at Waipara, North Canterbury, and in 1924 was transferred to Stratford as station master'. Mr Orton remained in Stratford till 1932, when he was appointed business agent at Auckland. He was subsequently transferred to a similar position in Wellington, and in 1938 succeeded .Mr E;' J. Guthrie ,on his retirement as station master. Wellington’s new station master, Mr AUwright, is well known in musical circles. He joined the department iu 1901 in Christchurch, and remained in the Canterbury district till 1912, when he was transferred to the head office in Wellington. He was absent with tho New Zealand Expeditionary Force from November, 1915, till July, 1919, and on his return to the Dominion resumed duty in the staff division in Wellington. _ In 1928 he was promoted to the position of chief clerk at Thorndon, and in 1932 was appointed station master at Hawera. He was transferred to Wanganui in a similar capacity in 1938.