UNDERPAID PUBLIC SERVANTS

Evening Star, Issue 25300, 7 October 1944, Page 9

UNDERPAID PUBLIC SERVANTS

P. AND T. SALARIES CRITICISED (Special.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 7. The salaries and conditions of the Post and Telegraph Department employees are such that they are the most under-paid body of public servants in the country, according to a critical speech by Mr W. A. Bodkin (Central Otago) during consideration of the department's estimates in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. The total vote was £4,912,'854.

Mr Bodkin said that the department was the hand-maiden of every other Government department. It made enormous profits and had more secret reserves than any other, because it wrote off amounts for depreciation far larger

PRIVATE A. E. BILLSBOROTTGH, of Dunedin, killed on active service while a prisoner. He left with the first section of the Fourth Reinforcement in 1940, served in Greece, Crete, Syria, and Libya, was wounded twice in Libya, and taken prisoner at EI Alamein in 1942. He was first in the Italian camp 85, in Italy, but was later transferred to Germany, where he was killed on

August 29 last as

the result of air activity. Private Billsborough was 26 years old. He was educated at Ravensbourne and % the Technical College, and was employed by the New Zealand Fur Company. An enthusiastic member of the Alhambra Football Club, he was a valued-forward in the senior side the year before his enlistment.

than would be permitted by the Taxation Department for,private businesses. It was a wise provision, but was being made at the expense of the employees. Country postmasters had more onerous and responsible duties than country bank managers, though they were paid far less and had fewer privileges. Mr F, W. Doidge (•Tauranga) remarked that nearly every piece of legislation passed by Parliament needed some service from the Post Office to make it effective; therefore, they ought to add to all that legislation provision for additional pay for the employees of the department. The services it rendered in connection with the Victory Loan were outstanding. The Postmaster-General, Mr Webb, said there had been an all-round increase of wages averaging 33 per cent, between 1935, when the Government came into office, and 1944. Increases had been made ranging from 28 to 52 per cent. The lower paid men were paid at the rate of £5 10s a Week. That was a big advance compared with the former rate. Some of the increases had been made recently, although long overdue. In making adjustments the stabilisation policy had to be taken into consideration.

Mr R. M. Algie (Remuera) said that comparisons of pay in 1935 and 1944 had been made, but something better was needed.

The Postmaster-General, in a further reply, said that all accounts were passed over to the Auditor-General for examination every year. Everything was minutely examined, and there were no pigeon holes for accumulating secret reserves. It was true that the department paid reasonably well, the service it gave compared favourably with that given in any other part of 'the world.

Mr H. E. Combs (Wellington Suburbs) said the salary scale for post office employees must be adjusted if the department were to give its employees the reward their service!" merited.

Mr T. H. McCombs (Lyttelton) said said that the postman in his electorate was receiving £3 16s a week at the age of 22. He was a single man and said that the Post and Telegraph Association was not as interested in his case as in others. He, Mr McCombs, considered that a man of that age should he paid sufficient to permit his marrying, but that was not possible on £3 10s.