ASSOCIATION'S ALLEGATIONS REFUTED

Marlborough Express, Volume LIV, Issue 85, 12 April 1920, Page 3

ASSOCIATION'S ALLEGATIONS REFUTED

A statement made by the secretary of the Poiit and Telegraph Officers' Association alleging grave dissatisfaction in the postal service was brought before the Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department in Wellington last Thursday. He drew attention to the statement' that some L3OO appeals against the reclassification of 1&19 had been lodged, and remarked that it was strange the Association made no reference to the fact that it issued a. misleading circular to all officers of the association advising them to appeal and giving a sample form of appeal. In that circular reference was made to the alleged promise of the Postal Department, which was shown afterwards- before the Apreal Bonrd, and to the admitted satisfaction of the Association's representative, 'co hsjve been overstated. That circular stated definitely that a promise of £180 after a certain period of service had been nmde, whereas the acttial promise was" £156, afterwards increased to £165. Many appeals lodged obviously originated from the misleading inI'ormation supplied to officers by the association. The association also omitted to mention that of 1300 appeals! lodged only fourteen - were allowed by the board, while 499 were conceded by the department on the amended scale following the Government's decision to grant a uniform increase of approximately £45 in lieu of a war 'bonus. The statement that the Department took into account Sir Joseph Ward's alleged promise to pay a Avar bonus was entirely withoxit foundation. The small* average amount :■>{ the in<Tea.se of I ayments to officers was ' accounted for by the fact -■ that of .7360 permanent officers 1000 were messenger boys receiving a pound weekly. A large proportion of the balance were cadets, etc. At nc time had :the service lost a hundred men monthly, nor a hundred boys a month, but resignations were cemmon, and always would be common in a service where a seventh of the total etaff were composed of message boys. Last year the number of officers who left the service totalled 657, made, up as follows:—Resignations 506, resignations enforced 26, dismissals 125. Of these 264 were messenger boys and 158 juniors receiving !ess than £2 per week. For the year just ended the figures were: Resignations 671. resignations enforced 26, dismissals 77, composed of 288 messengers and 140 juniors.