SERVICE APPEALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 October 1942, Page 2

SERVICE APPEALS

DECISIONS AT GREYMOUTH The No. 2 Armed Forces Appeal Board continued its sitting in Greymouth yesterday, afternoon. Mr. W. Mcldrum presided, with him Messrs P. J. McLean and A. Panther. Mr. G. F. Shapcott was Secretary. i The Union Steam Ship Co. of N.Z. appealed for Louis Francis Anderson, chief clerk and accountant. Mr. S. J. Davis, manager, said that of the original staff only reservist and witness remained. The company had been declared an essential undertaking and it was considered that any further leavening of staff would result in a delay to vessels.—Adjourned sine die. . „ The “Greymouth Evening Star” Co. appealed to retain the services df Andrew Dalziel, foreman printer. Mr. J. W. Hannan called the manager, Mr. A. J. Wilson, who stated that reservist had been in the company’s employ for 21 years and carried heavy responsibilities. Four of the original five men in the job printing department were now serving in the forces and it had not been found possible to secure a successor to Dalziel in response to advertisements. — Adjourned sine die. John Albert Essex, bread delivery man, appealed on his own behalf, Mrs. C. Essex supporting it. Reservist wrote saying he was now in the Railway Department and would be unable to go overseas. He and his mother both claimed that owing to ill-health of herself and the father he could not go overseas. —The case was held over. Gordon Patterson, funeral director, and the Greymouth Fire Brigade appealed for John Leslie Patterson, assistant-funeral director. Mr. Patterson said reservist was his brother and had been employed in his present position since December 1, 1941, as appellant’s only assistant. The business required two men; it had been declared essential. Evidence was also tendered on behalf of the Fire Brigade.—Patterson’s appeal was adjourned sine die, but the Brigade’s appeal was held over for decision.

Appeals were lodged by the Greymouth Fire Brigade in respect to Patrick Coll, printer’s mechanic, Harry Richard Kirk, mechanic, Frederick Donald Manson, manager and fireman, and George Edward Shaw, plumber in respect of whom W. Costello, plumber also lodged an appeal. Superintendent White, who could not attend through illness, detailed the records of the men and claimed their services were essential to the brigade. All were Grade 1 men. Mr. Hannan said Coll was the printer of the “Evening Star,” and that company sought to lodge an appeal. He asked that the case be deferred to enable a Director’s appeal to be lodged, the Board agreeing to an adjournment. In respect to Manson, Gibbs Motors also sought leave to lodge a Director’s appeal to be heard at Westport, this being granted. Francis Costello, appealing for Shaw, said the latter had been in his employ for 15 years. Three of the four journeymen employed by the firm before the war were in the forces. —Adjourned sine die in respect of the employer, decision being reserved in respect of the brigade. In respect of Kirk, . the Motor Trades Utilisation Committee requested that a Director’s appeal be lodged to enable Kennedy Bros, to state a case—The Board agreed to this course and adjourned the brigade’s appeal. The “Grey River Argus” Ltd. appealed for Malcolm Bruce Charteris, compositor. Mr. W. D. Taylor called Mr. N. V. Lovell, manager, who said Charteris was in the jobbing department and was the only person capable of handling display advertising. The firm had sought without success for a successor. The prewar staff was six. and to-day there were only three, Charteris being the sole experienced workman, having been with the paper for 15 years.— Adjourned sine die. Baty Bros, and the Cobden Fire Brigade appealed for Alexander George King, motor mechanic and fireman. Mr. T. B. Baty said King had been in the firm’s employ lor 17 years. The workshop staff' consisted of King and an apprentice compared with four mechanics and three apprentices before the war. Witness himself worked 12 hours a a The Motor Trades Utilisation Committee supported the . appeal, which was adjourned sine die. For the brigade Mr. T. Gilmore said King was motorman in charge of both vehicles and was a key man. He was one of seven men available during the day. He was chief mechanic and trained the auxiliaries. — Adjourned sine die. The Cobden Fire Brigade appealed for Horace Ernest Anderson, clerk. Mr. Gilmore said Anderson was treasurer and ar. experienced fire- ,... ~ “i" r.I-.anrr it said iJierO W? c

stood over. The Kurnara Fire Brigade appealed for Walter Joseph McNabb, clerk and fireman.—On the application of Mr. A. M. Jamieson the case was held over till the next sitting. L. B. Davenport lodged an appeal for Francis Lewis Bell, carpenter. Mr E. F. Evans, Resident Engineer of the Public Works Department, who is chairman of the Building Committee, asked that Bell’s call-up be postponed pending the completion of certain urgent work. —Adjourned a month for review. Keating and McMillan appealed for William Alfred Fairhall, carpenter. Mr. Taylor called Mr. I. McMillan, who said the firm was engaged entirely on essential work. Tne miners’ cottages would not be completed until about February 19,_ and Fairhall’s services were essential. — Adjourned a month for review. W T Robin appealed lor Gordon Leslie Luff, carpenter’s apprentice, Mr Taylor called Mr. Robin, who said the firm was erecting miners cottages.—Adjourned a month for review* i • Sotherans, Ltd., sought to Retain fhp services of Francis James Biennan iSnlr and John Anderson Mann, foreman. Mr. Jamieson called Mr. t Sotiieran, a director, who said both reservists had been in the firm s employ for over 20 years and were key men The staff would be fully employed for six months on jomeiy work for miners cottages. The Building Trades Committee supported the appeals, recommending in reflect of Brennan postponement of service for five months and in respect of Mann a similar postponement. —Adjourned sine die. The Westland Breweries applied for an extension of release from military duties of the Manager, Jack O’Donnell. So far it had not been possible to secure a substitute. Mr. Hannan said that when the appeal was previously before the Board, reservist was granted one month s respite, and since then it had been found that he could not be released for service within the time stipulat ed Within ten years the volume of business had trebled and within five years had doubled, probably being unequalled by any similar concern in the Dominion. , O’Donnell, in evidence, said he had been 14 years with the company (since it started) and eight years as manager. There were 32 employees, including himself, an assistant, a traveller, and two brewers. The brewer at Hokitika had no knowledge of accountancy and the one at .Reefton had no business training out-

side brewing so that the whole of the executive work rested on witness and his assistant, aged 26, who was not a qualified accountant. Witness wrote up all the cash and journalised all the entries, doing the buying for all the branches and carrying sole responsibility for the bottle store. He visited each branch once a month and issued instructions as to brews. Since his release from camp witness had not been able to make up the arrears of bookkeeping. There was no one in the company’s business who could perform his duties. The company owned seven hotels, two with joint guarantors, and these required his attention. Eric Souter, auditor for Westland Breweries, corroborated O’Donnell’s evidence as to the extent of his duties. Witness was, in fact, surprised by their extent. There was no one in the company’s employ who could assume managerial duties, and an experienced man would require at least three months’ experience to do the accountancy work alone. Thomas Hubert Lee, chairman of directors, produced an advertisement for a manager, 28 applications having been received. None of these came from men with experience in brewery management, though some might be efficient accountants. The business was a mass of detail, including serving 129 hotels. Decision was reserved till this morning. This morning the Board announced that it did not consider anything further had been brought forward to cause it to alter its previous decision. It did not seem impossible to replace reservist, who should continue to serve his country. The application must be declined. TO-DAY’S BIG LIST When the Board sat to-day it had to consider 75 appeals, including 22 for watersiders, eleven for the Public Works Department, four for the Post Office, and 45 for the Railway Department. The following decisions in respect of watersiders were made, Mr. E. Hillman, Secretary of the Waterside Workers’ Union, tendering evidence: • Adjourned sine die:—Harry Becker, Thomas Henry Best, James Best, James Gordon, Stanley Robert Haines, Jack Kelly, John Phillip Knox, William Richard Mann, William Roy McMinn, Vincent George Negri, Frederick Walter Newman, Charles Bryan O’Connor, Thomas George Olsen, Thomas Claude Outram, Percival Seddon Potts, Alan Purton, George William Roberts, John Smeaton, Leslie Walker Stantpn, Milner Churchel Sweetman, George Patrick Thomson, Walter Vaughan. Mr. H. Outram, for the Waterside Commission, recommended the granting of the appeals. Of 154 watersiders at Greymouth only 66 were capable of performing all classes of work, and they included the 22 men in respect of whom appeals were lodged. The District Public Trustee (Mr. W. R. Millie?) appealed for Claud Fitzgerald Cockburn, clerk. He stated that in Greymouth there were 14 members of the staff—seven male and seven female —of whom two of the latter and a youth would be leaving before the end of the year. Reservist performed essential work and could not be replaced.—Adjourned sine die.

The Public Works Department (Mr. E. F. Evans) lodged the following appeals:— Adjourned sine die. —Jack Ferguson, surfaceman, Maruia; Eugene Bowe, handyman, Westport-Inanga-hua line; William Edward Rundle, welder mechanic, Greymouth, who lodged an appeal on the grounds of conscientious objection but expressed willingness, as a Seventh Day Adventist, to render non-combatant service. A St. John Ambulance Brigade certificate was held by reservist. Reservists own appeal. was dismissed subject to his not being required to render combatant service. James Ford, bridge foreman, Hokitika; Richard James Rogers, lorry driver, Karamea; John Francis McGeady, excavator operator, Ahaura; Reginald Charles Feary, surfaceman, Hokitika; William Holley, lorry driver, Mawheraiti; William Henry Watt, lorry driver, Greymouth; Patrick Joseph Whitiskie, ganger, Otira. Stood down for hearing at Westport.—William John Hill, loco driver, Westport-Inangahua line, who strenuously opposed the appeal. Mr. Evans said he had appealed only for men in respect of whom it was necessary to retain their services for defence works, maintenance of highways, and similarly essential work. He had purged the list very severely. No appeals were lodged for the retention of men in the Defence Engineers’ Service Corps, as such.

POST OFFICE APPEALS The Chief Postmaster (Mr. A. W. Swap) appeared to state a case for the following appeals by the Post and Telegraph Department:— Garth Lennox Bertram, junior mochai'ician. the only apprentice in b e Department’s garage at Greymouth, which had beside him only one mechanic. The Motor Trades Utilisation Committee supported the appeal without qualification.—Adjourned sine die. William David Panckhurst, a senior clerk, with 22 years experience, who shared the senior work with the supervisor. He was the only officer apart from the superisor with an all-round knowledge of the multifarious duties of the clerical branch. Others had been given an opportunity to qualify for reservist’s duties, but owing to their semi-technical nature they had shown no aptitude for them. —Adjourned sine die. Richard Neville Clark, postmaster at Kumara, who worked eleven hours overtime a week. If he were released it would be necessary to replace him with an experienced sub-office man, who was not available. —Adjourned sine die. , . ~ John Cecil Gutberlet, linesman, Hokitika, performing work which could not be done by female staff. The appeal was lodged because of urgent defence work. —Adjourned sine die.

RAILWAY DEPARTMENT

Signals Branch (Mr. H. A. Kelly in support):—Athol Bannerman Wilson, automatic signal _ maintainer; James Morton Shields, signal adjuster; William Joseph Ferguson, electric line erector; Francis Ignatius Feehan, carpenter; Harry Allen Booth, painter and acting signal adjuster: Robert Edward Smith signal gang worker.—All adjourned sine die. Mr. Kelly stated that the staff in the Greymouth district had been reduced from 67 before the war to 43, 18 men having taken up military duties. All employees were m the Lines of Communication Company. Workshops Branch (Mr. E. R. Lattimer)..—Ernest Edward Boddy, turner, adjourned .sine die.