POSTAL OFFICERS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 26 July 1924, Page 7

POSTAL OFFICERS.

SALARIES ON REGRADING. SCHEDULES GAZETTED. At about the time of the railway strike, in April last, there suddenly arose in the Rost and Telegraph Department an urgent demand for the schedules on which the salaries to be paid during the ensuing five years should be based, and the public will remember the voluminous, correspondence emanating from the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association and Telegraph Officers.’ Association and from the Postmaster-General, which appeared in the newspapers throughout the' Dominion. There were even suggestions of a strike in the Post- and Telegraph Service, if the demands of the association lor very much increased salaries were not given effect to. The matter was discussed at length, and the Postmaster-General clearly indicated that the scale proposed by the Government wa,s at least equal to that used bv large companies and corporations, and he was not prepared to concede the view of the association that persons employed outside the Government service were also underpaid. 'flic matter lias now reached a further stage in the' publication of the new schedules in the Government Gazette. A careful perusal of the schedules does not reveal any change in 1lu)-'e proposed by the PostmasterGcneral some months ago. A comparison of the schedules with those hitherto in use shows that practically no increase is given to the higherpaid officers, the majority of the increase being given to those employed in the rank and file. It was desired by. the association that the maximum paid to tiie rank and file officers should be increased to £320 per annum, but, according to the Gazette, ] t bas remained at the present rate of £295 per annum. The schedules themselves are not very illuminating so far as the general public are con”, cerned.' i

It will be remembered that the Postmaster-General announced that the amount <>! the increase involved by the alteration ol the schedules was approximately £29,500. To this sum must be added the ordinary increments which accrue to the salaries of the lower-paid officers. that the schedules have been gazetted, it is anticipated that the lost and Telegraph classification list tor the current year will be available in appioxi mutely a month’,s time -Vll the salaries affected date from 'April t last. —Dominion.