CRISIS AVERTED

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1914, Page 7

CRISIS AVERTED

THE, POSTAL DEADLOCK

MR W. R. MORRIS INTERVENES.

TRUCE DECLARED WITH THE

COMMISSIONER,

The crisis which threatened the Post and Telegraph service as. the result of the deadlock was effectually averted on Saturday through the mediation of the Secretary of the G.P.O. (Mr W. R. Morris). It will be recollected (says the* N.Z. Times) thati a dispute arose between the Public Service Commissioner (Mr D. Robertson) and a delegation from the -Post and Telegraph. Officers' Association's conference, which wished to submit a list, of grievances to the Commissioner. The latter declined to receive the representations until the preamble to the resolutions passed by the conference was amended or withdrawn, as he deemed the preamble an impeachment of his administration. The delegates declined to take the step of altering the preamble in any way, as they did not represent! the full voting strength of the conference (half the delegates having returned to their stations). Their action was submitted to the various branches for an endorsement, and the majority supported the attitude of the deputation. All efforts to arrive at a solution of the dispute had failed until recently, when the Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department offered his services as mediator between the parties. Feeling last week was running very high in the service—so nigh indeed' that there" was talk of an effort being made to bring the grievances to light by the use of the Arbitration Act. Happily, however, Mr Morris s intervention prevented anything, of, a serious nature' occurring. ' The following official report of what has taken place was supplied by tihe Post and Telegraph Officers' Associa--tion on Saturday:— "As the outcome of Mr Morris's | efforts the executive committee unani- j mously adopted the following resolution this morning, and asked the Secretary to submit it to the Commis- ' sioner: Having accepted the Secretary as,a mediator between the Commissioners and the association, this executive committee adopts the following amended preamble to the remits of conference, and asks the Secretary with a view to the final settlement of the dispute:— That this conference of post p.r telegraph officers, after comijaring the classification list for post and telegraph officers with that for other-civil servants, is unable to reconcile the apparent differences which exist in the salaries. It is -of opinion that responsibility (speaking in general terms) is as high in the Post and Telegraph service, that the duties are as arduous, and that they are equally as important as ■ those of other civil • servants. It, therefore, submits to the Commissioner the urgent necessity for giving this matter further consideration. -

"The Secretary (Mr W. R. Mor-' ris) undertook to do this., and shortly ' afterwards announced that the Commissioner would receive the executive committee of the association. The meeting.took place forthwith, and the formal announcement of the commit-* tc-o's decision was submitted by the chairman of the'confjmittee and formally accepted by' the Commissioner. It was arranged -thau; the committee should meet the Commissioner again on Monday afternoon and go through the remits of the conference which have been held up since the deadlock .occurred.

"Before proceeding to see the Commissioner the chairman expressed the appreciation of the executive eommrfrtee of "the services rendered by .the Secretary in bringing about an" understanding. • liiis expression of appreciation, he felt sure, would be warmly endorsed1 by every member of .the association." ,