Post Office Leads In War Effort

Northern Advocate, 10 December 1940, Page 7

Post Office Leads In War Effort

[Per Press Association, —r Copyright.] WELLINGTON, This Day. The Post Office, in common with the rest of the community, is feeling the effects of the war in many directions. _ / ’ Not the least important is .the temporary loss of officers serving with the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Postmaster-General (Mr Webb) said last night that from a normal working staff of 12,000, volunteers -for overseas numbered over 1600. Of these 1061 had already been released. ' ' ; ' The remainder were either, waiting to enter camp or have not been accepted for military service. One-Third Enlisted.“Disregarding • married nien; employees under age and female employees, voluntary enlistments represent a third of the eligible officers,” said Mr Webb. " y ' : v “In addition to enlistments for overseas service, more than 500 junior officers are now in Territorial. camps, and 200 more volunteers will enter camp in the New Year. In addition, 1100 were drawn in the first and second ballots. Many of these will be required to commence training in January.” Mr Webb said that the release of so many officers called for reorganisation, and the position had been met so far with but slight restriction of services. As an outcome of staff overhauls, many officers had been released without being replaced. Increased hours of duty had been accepted by the remaining staff in a - commendable spirit. i ; Some economies in manpower had been effected by .a slight restriction in services. .

Employing Females. Relief was being obtained by the employment of female labour. Some 200-girls were now in training. Machine-printing telegraphy, with its touch-typing, came under this heading. The training of young girls in this work had borne such good results that 42 were now employed as full working units. There had been heavy demands on the department’s staff of radio telegraphists. The need for .a reserve of trained radio operators quickly became apparent. This was met by the setting up of a school for training telegraph cadets as radio operators. Training Air Force Operators.

In addition, recruits to the Royal New Zealand Air Force who were waiting to enter camp. . were being given training in Morse telegraphy, many telegraphists voluntarily giving their own time.

At present there were 73 classes in 37 towns, and 2240 Air Force trainees were receiving instruction from 150 instructors. The Post Office was now carrying on with 600 less staff than in September, 1939. It was doing this notwithstanding further calls made upon it in administering the oil fuel regulations, and in spite of difficulties inseparable from working with, partly inexperienced staffs.

The most recent large-scale job to be entrusted to the Post Office concerned the national savings movement. National Savings.

Not only was the Post Office organising the scheme among staffs in the business world, but its own officers were saving in a manner reminiscent of their response to the appeal for national patriotic donations. Officers of the Post Office were among the first to make mass and regular contributions to national and provincial patriotic funds. The sum now being contributed by them to the patriotic funds amounted to between £SOOO and £6OOO annually.