POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume L, Issue 175, 27 October 1917, Page 2

POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICERS

ANNUAL REUNION. The anrvual reunion of the Nelson s<»o tion of tlie New Zealand Post and Telegraph Officers' Association was held at th 0 Haeremai Tea- Booms : last eveuiug, when there was an attendance of between 60 and 70. The president (Mr L. Packard) occupied the chair. Apologies for absence were received from the Postmaster-General (Sir Joseph Ward). Mr T. A. H. Field, M.P., Mr IT". .Robertson (Public Service Commissioner), Mr W. G,ee (Chief Postmaster), Mr E. J. L. Whiting (president of the New iZealaud Post and Telegraph Association), and Mr N. R. Mclsaac (vicepresident anqi chairman of the executive).

■ The principal toast of the evening was "The Association," which was proposed by' Mr A. W. Oxley, who incidentally remarked that he was the first general secretary of the Association. The .Department was against the Association from the start, but in spite of the opposition <''' heads of the Department to-day it was a very live As-, sociation. The Association now represented a majority 6f the service, and was a force to be reckoned- with. The Association strove for a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and fair play all round.

Mr H. Coombs, general secretary to the Association, in responding to the toast, said it was difficult for the younger officers to appreciate, what the, founders _of the Association had to,, face. The difficulties to-day were, trifling. compared_with those th«» *>arly officers had to meet. He paid a tribute to the pioneer work of Mr Oxley. (Applause). One question exercising the minds of .members of the Association was the cost q£ living ; another was the separa • tion allowances of those who were, shortly to become soldiers. The so.lv-■ iin" of the first question would solve the second. For his part he could not see the right or justice in two men, with, the same family—one-declared unfit and remaining in comfort, the other going to the front leaving his dependants at their wits' end to get along. It rested with the Government to tackle the cost of living and separation 1 questions, so that the cost of living would not be further increased, and that the separation alio-.--nice whs sufficient. fo>" a soldier's family to live*in the way the soldier would desire them to live. He had seen Sir Joseph Ward, -who hadtold him that the Association must 'be content with th e war bonus as granted last year arid that there .could be no difference in favour of those officers with families as compared' with singl« men. Dealing with th e conditions in the Service, Mr Coombs said the Association desired to see that a boy entering the Department should rise to a salary in the sa/me time as a boy entering a trade rose to journeymen's wages. W%ye» should those in th e Service have to wait 12. or 14' years to get what wia* secured outside, in six or seven years! The low pay in the Telephone Department was emphasised, and Mr Combs .said it would be his duty during the next two or three years to place tlie true position of the Telephone Department before business people. (Anplause). While present conditions existed' there, would be discontent. There must lie a, decent living, wage throughout the Service. ' (Applause). The Telephone Exchange was not singular in tlie conditions he had referred to, as the same could be said of the Post Office Savines Bank. The. Executive of the Association desired that a magistrate should; 'be chairman of the Appeal Board-V There was no attack on the present chairman, .but it wa s felt that a'manwith legal' knowledge should "be . chairman. Speaking of education for th> Service, Mr Coombs said the Association was urging that trie present systeii» •be swept away. A lot of subjects we?*>.' mow taken up whicn were' of, no." yatut*;. to the. student, who should be confinec*.. to subjects "connected with the work ofthe Department. In conclusion, Mj* Coombs said the Executive of tlie A*'. sociation was very earnest in its desira to do justice to members of the- Service, and also to the Department. The. 'first duty was to the public, whom the. Department serves. They must: give to . the public a satisfactory arid efficient ■service, and after that p«i;sist; in an endeavour to .get conditions wJii,ch y/oxtld remunerate' members of the Association for the services rendered. '(Applause). ' Mr A. D., Baggs, secretary to the Nelson section, said it,was only through th e Association that the Service -could 'bring matters >up. There were now 20 sections in 'New'Zealand, with a membership of 7000. in the -whole Department there Were only 300 non-members of the Association. A year ago - the membership' -was 400, and. the increase' wits due to ,the 'General Secretary. There were 1800. members of "the Association on Mr Baggs said th e classification schedule was din.-, cussed at the .recent conference. Tli.» cost of livibjzi. was going, up, arid there was no organised:-attempt to' 'stop" it. Officers of the "(Department had to livo on salaries which were only sufficient five years ago. The conference asked that the salary schedule be amended to enable a member of-the' Service to reach a living wage in areasonable time—say five or six years, instead of 15 vears. Sir Joseph Ward had said there would be no amendment of the Public Servico Act till after the .war; that left them with the ''sam e schedule of salaries as" five years ago, though something might" be expected through the Public Sen vice 'Uommissioner. '"■'

;By consent of the meet'jng, Mr Bagffs moved the following resolution:—"Tins section of the New' Zealand Post and leleijraph Officers' Association agaii stresses the urgent necessity for a radical revision of tli e classified saLr.rV scales an vogue in the Department,' a.mt calls public' attention' to the /.act tha> the competent Post "and Telegraph male ' employee onlv reaches the minimum wage of "' £3 per week (established bv the Arbitration Court) after 11 to 12 years continuous and efficient service, while ;the female employee has but the slenderjest prospect of ever reaching that salary point."

The resolution having been seconded, put and carried unanimously. The toast of "The Department" was proposed by Mr H. Atmore, -who said the Department should be proud of the fact that it had sent 1800 men to the front. He went on to deal with the costof living, pointing out that the purchasing power of the sovereign w?s the real question. The purchasing power of the sovereign had been reduced 7s. New Zealand was the wealthiest country in the world, and it was only rip-ht that some of its wealth should, go into the pockets of those who were on a great and important public vice. Mr Atmore referred to the DepartmentVas an example of the success of btate enterprises. The toast was responded to ov Mr A. O. ETeatTng. Other toasts were honoured, bainc interspersed with entertaining items ,nd the gathering concluded with the National Anthem.