POSTAL OFFICERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23208, 30 November 1938, Page 15

POSTAL OFFICERS

FORTY YEARS' SERVICE RETIREMENT THIS YEAR STATEMENT BY MINISTER [bt telegraph—owx correspondent] CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday All officers, except three, of the Post and Telegraph Department who have completed 40 years of service will bo retired by tho end of this year. A statement to this effect was made by the Postmaster-General, tho Hon. F. Jones, when interviewed. Tho retention of men with more than 40 years' service lias been a vexed question in the service for some time. Before tho election, the Katipo, the official journal of tho Post and Telegraph Employees' Association, contained a leading article on tho subject, and the correspondence and branch notes which followed indicated that the continuance of the employment of these officers was tho cause of serious grievance among other employees.

"By practically the end of this year, only three officers who have completed more than 40 years' service in the department will bo employed, and thn.v will bo relieved as soon as they can be relieved by the Government," said Mr. Jones.

Questioned on the retention of th 6 threo officers, the Minister added: "As soon as thfi work they arc now undertaking is completed, those officers will bo relieved. They have been retained for special reasons. "The general tone and the relations in the service are quite good," continued Mr. Jones. "We do not say that we have satisfied all the service, but we have brought about many improvements. Of course, they are not the last word.

"We realise that there are further improvements to be made, uf course, the question of the most prudent time then arises. When we are in a position to bring about the desired improvements, we will endeavour to do so."

NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR MB. J. G. YOUNG PROMOTED LONG TERM OF SERVICE POST FOR MR. W. R. NEWALL [BY TELEGRAFH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Tuesday Two administrative appointments in the Post and Telegraph Department were announced this evening by the Postmaster-General, the Hon. F. Jones. The second deputy-Director-General of the Department, Mr. J. G. Young, has been appointed deputy-Director-General as from November 1. This position was previously held by Mr. P. J. Shanks, who recently retired on superannuation.

The vacancy created by the promotion of -.Mr. Young has been filled by the appointment of Mr. W. R. Newall, divisional principal of the General Post Office, Wellington, to the position of second deputy-Director-General.

Mr. Young joined tho department at Wiaton, Southland, in 1902 and two years later was transferred on promotion to Invercargill. Between 1910 and 1914 ho served in tho Wellington, Napier and Timaru offices. Shortly after the outbreak of the Great War in 1914 ho joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces and returned four years Jatpr with the rank of captain. On resuming duty with the department in 1919 Mr. Young took up a position at Greymouth, but a year later he was appointed to the position of inspector. In 1931 he was advanced to the position of senior inspector and after serving three years in this capacity was appointed deputy chief inspector. One of Mr. Young's first duties $n coming to Wellington was that of departmental representative on the tour of New Zealand by the Duke of Gloucester in 1934-35. Ho wnl? appointed second denuty-Director-General early in 1937 anil since tho retirement of tho deputy-Director-General, Mr. Shanks, in August, ho has acted in that office. Joining the department in Dunedin in 1901, Mr. Newall subsequently became a telegraphist, being stationed at Balclutha, Napier, Wellington and Hastings. 11l 1915 he was appointed chief clerk to the telegraph engineer at Napier, and in 1919 ho was transferred to tho General Post Office, Wellington, where for 11 years ho was attached to the staff of tho chief engineer. When the commercial branch of the department was established in 1930 Mr. Newall was appointed commercial manager, occupying this position until 1934, when he was appointed principal of the, telegraph division.