GEORGE McNAMARA

NZ Truth, Issue 1105, 3 February 1927, Page 4

GEORGE McNAMARA

Sitting Atop A Postal Pinnacle

T ONGFELLOW tells us that fame comes only when deserved — and then Li it is inevitable. Allusions of this nature are sometimes trite, and quite often ill-fitting, but Longfellow's observation sits glove-tight on the mentality of George McNamara, secretary; of the Post and Telegraph Department. ' . ■■■ j The appointment of such a young, officer — young m a many-sided sensecut away all the preconceived impressions that grey hairs are prima facie indications of suitability for executive jobs. He has educatibn, razor-sharp perception and a still tongue dovetailed m with an innate sense of administration — and you can't stop a man like that from getting to the top. McNamara first rubbed shoulders with the department some 30 years ago m Invercargill, his home town. There he dreamed his dreams of the future and set about bringing them into the realm of actuality. He went to Dunedin, the switching point of his. life, and there attracted the notice of Donald Robertson, then secretary of the department. Young McNamara was offered a niche m head office, but refused lor some obscure

reason. The same position was held out for his acceptance when next Robertson, went south, Brut by this time Gfiarga had onangad Bis minrf;: ao lie ftEUIld bia way ta haad.quaxters,. whsre El® could taia'an. ■nnjin> -terr-uptad pesp ai the m hot wor-kxnsa of a very '• complicated State machine. That ■ -was 1$ •yeara ffigtW and from that time he can almost meek and. neck willi A. T2- MaxlcniaxL, wfa-Q was eventually appointed to the sao ue-tajrysMp.. McNamaxa foresaw the passibiHties inherent m nural deliveries- and submitted- his scheme to £ m c Powers That Be, but at ffcust csseiVed scant enGDuragrement. Ncct a. wnit dismayed, ha packed a punch m vail his arguments for the idea and eventually won out. To-day, the man m the wayfoacka enjoys an esueHent postal service,, and tha man wfco Dray pound ad tfre. inmova;tion looks .forward to the time, whan every man m this country will ,JSt&v« all the advantages which, the city man now takes fcnr

granted. In passing, it should be noted that the revenue from this source has increased just 600 per cent. G. M. was also primarily responsible for the institution of the motor-car number-plate system which is now m vogue m the Dominion and which has completely reorganized the system of tax collection m this particular connection. . . Of course, the plagiarist will say that the idea was filched from other countries — the U.S.A. for example. Maybe, maybe not. At any rate, there is scarcely another' country m the world which has such a fool-proof system — America not excepted 1 — a point which adds to the kudos that rightly rests upon the shoulders of the present P. and T. secretary. He keeps a busy, sympathetic finger on the departmental nervous system. Busy, so far as methods, means and finance are concerned; sympathetic so far as helpfulness and tolerance m relation to the viewpoints of his subordinates. « '■..■■' He is a bigr man— mentally and physically. Approachable, four-square and diligent, both m the official sense and m his outlook upon the needs of those with whom he once dipped a humble pen. - ,