POSTAL SERVICE

Southland Times, Issue 18810, 1 May 1920, Page 6

POSTAL SERVICE

THE ASSOCIATION’S CLAIMS.

AN OFFICIAL INTERVIEWED,

(Per United Press Association.)

HAMILTON, April 30. Mr W. A. G. Brown, vice-president of the North Island Past and Telegraph Officers’ Association, interviewed regarding the meaning of the resolutions passed in various parts of the country, sard the position was one requiring a frank expression of opinion. In 1914 the whole service considered themselves inadequately paid. Since then the officers had not endeavoured to embarrass the Department, and had accepted the war bonus as a part measure towards meeting the increased cost of living. However, the cost of living had now outgrown the war bonus allotted, and the Government decided in 1913 that a reclassification of the .service was essential. The revised reclassification list of last year proved totally inadequate, more especially for the rank and file. The officers considered that they were entitled to maintain their prewar standard of living. The Service held that it was entitled at least to a salary based on pre-war rates with the annual increments to which officers were entitled before they reached the maximum of their respective classes, plus 62 per cent, which the Government itself assessed as the increase in the cost of living. Mr Brown emphasised that the maximum salary of the officers of the Department was not commensurate with the work they performed, and resignations were common throughout the service. Officers receiving pnly 13/- per day compared very unfavourably with the rates ruling outside. So far as the present crisis was concerned, the Prime Minister stated that whatever was granted to the railway men would be given to the rest of the Public Service. This included the Post and Telegraph Department, members of which were directly concerned with the success and failure of the raihvaymen. Since February 5 last their executive had been endeavouring to secure an interview with the Postmaster-General and the Prime Minister to discuss the grievances. The latter had not so far replied to the last communication on the subject made by the permanent secretary of the Association. Writing on February 5, the Premier promised to fix a time to meet the Association. Asked how the executive would view the matter if the Premier did not consent, Mr Brown said it viewed the position with the greatest seriousness. Unfortunately the public and not the Government would suffer, but he thought the public were .sympathetic. Wise counselling on the part of the public with the Government could avoid the most serious crisis the Association had ever had to face. He believed that public opinion was strong enough to prevail with the statesmen of the country.

WAR BONUS AND INCREASED SALARIES. A MARLBOROUGH RESOLUTION. BLENHEIM, April 30. A largely attended meeting of the Marlborough section of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association last night passed tho following resolution: ‘‘That this section expresses confidence in ami appreciation of the executive’s efforts to secure the overdue war bonus and a substantial increase in salaries and also gives whole-hearted support to the executive in any action it sees fit to take.”

WARM RESOLUTION FROM AUCKLAND AUCKLAND, April 30. The executive of the Auckland section of the Post and Telegraph G flic ere’ Association to-day carried the following hotly-worded resolution; “We consider tiie shelving of t lie war bonus premised by Sir Joseph • Ward to be-a disgrace to any Government j and an insult to intelligence of the rattui hers of the Post and Telegraph Service, • Wc desire 'hat the press he fuiiy advised tint I dc.-piic fmptf.nl requests within the last few months no interview with the Premier or the po.stma.-tu-General has been granted. The lime is now opportune to ■■res-; Da claims of the servicr: in conjunction with those of the railway that definite salaries, excluding the bonus, be fixed imniv.diai.cly, such salaries to be based upon, the re!,.,ion of the cos: of living now and that obtaiiv-ng in 1914. In our opinion I tho Government Use!: is causing discontent jby not fixing salaries or, a fair Lasts as |it has made nthe; employers do. and any .‘trike which has been or will be the outcome of such oiky-d.,living will l>c entirely warranted. To iinnre.ss on the Government the feelings of ihc men, wc ask that the cxccttlhe council i-' 1 called together immediately, temporarily waiving Rule 17 A (which provio.'s for a month’s notice), and that failing eonridf.rutimi of our demands the executive instruct till branches to call skip-work meetings to consider what fur- I ibc.r action shall be taken.” ] A TIMARU MEETING. j SYMPATHY’ WITH RAILWAYMAN. | TIMARU, April 30. I At a wol! attended meeting of the Timaru branch of the Post and Telegraph Officers' ; Association, the following resolution.-; were j “That this meeting strongly resents the j Prime Minh-ter’s discourteous treatment of ] our executive committee in refusing to ar- | range an interview as he promised. Wc. now j request the executive to demand the right to he heard, and that the Prime Minister be re- I quested to arrange an interview forthwith; I find further, we again press for the immedi- i ate payment of the war bonus promised by Sir 1 .loset)!; Ward. Failing a reasonable attitude | on the part of the Prime Minister, we re- ( quest the executive imnu'-diateiy t,o arrange i a secret ballet to decide on the further j course of action.” j ‘’That ini.- meeting tenders the railway I men its best wishes for the successful and j early termination of their light, for improved ! condition-, and informs this Association’s ! executive that it. is favourable to striking a j levy to financially assist the men affected.” j WESTPORT OFFICERS’ REQUEST. | I WESTPORT. April 30. At a meeting of the Westport section of the Post and 'telegraph Officers’ Association, the following resolution was carried unanimously: "That the executive appeal for a substantial increase in salaries, and failing the obtaining of the same, a ballot betaken with a view to drastic action.”

I LOCAL OFFICER’S STATEMENT. I THE BONUS QUESTION, DEPARTMENTAL DILATORINESS. Speaking to a representative of tiie Southland Times yesterday a member of the P. | and T. Officers’ Association referred at | length to the present unrest in the service. He remarked that some misapprehension might have been caused by a Press Association message from Christchurch in yesterday morning’s paper stating that an official had declared that the officers in Christchurch had cold feet and that they would not come out in the event of a strike being called. “Wc have no desire to take any drastic action, said the member of the Association, “and we want to avoid anything of the sort if it is humanly possible, but the message from Christchurch suggests that the Association has not the support of the officers of the service there. To satisfy ourselves, we telegraphed to the Christchurch branch of (be Association and today we received a reply stating that the suggestion contained in the message was repudiated. As a matter of fact, a meeting was held in Christchurch and we are informed that the views there are practically on the same lines as our own here. That meeting decided to supply a report of its meeting and resolutions to the Christchurch papers and to the Press Association for distribution, but nothing appeared. One member who has had. over twenty-five years’ experience of the service and is a member of the Association said that the

there were indignant regarding the message that was sent out in regard to the attitude of the men in Christchurch. I think that the explanation of the report is that a newspaper man interviewed an official of the Department, not a member of the Association, and that he gave his own view. Certainly the report does not reflect the attitude of the Christchurch branch.” Dealing with the position of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association and its grievances, he stated that the prime cause of dissatisfaction at present was that the Association could not get any reply from the Government regarding the terms of Sir Robert. Stout’s finding as to Sir Joseph Ward’s promised war bonus, and could not get the mtervk-w with the Prime Minister promised by him on February 5. Hie public did not understand the position fully. “During the war period Fix Joseph Ward granted a bonus of £ls to men receiving up to £3OO a year. Subsequently he found that tbc increase in the cost of living made an increment necessaiy, and a double bonus was paid. This meant that up to September 30, 1918, a bonus of £22 10/-, extending over eighteen months had been granted. The promise' for the double war bonus in the future was made and we now say that we are entitled on that, promise to £250 for the year ended December 31, 1919, and £3 15/- for the throe months remaining in 1918. These figures, of course, are for married men, the bonus for sin pin men being half that amount. Since September 30, 1918, wo have not received any war bonus at all, hut we are fold that the increases made in the pay under the clai-vificfrir.n lirt takes it? place. But does it ? The Department says that there has been an advance in (lie average salary of £55.24 since HT4. According Ui the Department’s figures the average stdaty it; ]■: • 4 was £135.47 and in the Department’s official letter of October 23, 1919, the average salary’ was set down at £171.98, representing an advance in that period of £33.51. Th-f.se are official figure? and there is a great difference between £,''.3.51 end £55.2.', “As a matter of fact first-class operator, after twenty years’ service, is now gtttira about 14/2 a day, from which must, he deducted his contribution t-o the superannuation fund and other charges, which bring it

(down in about Ids a day. Compare this | pay, with the length of .•■.ervice required to J attain it, the irregular and long hours and j the exacting nature ul a telegraphist’s work, i with the pay received by journeymen in i other trades, and hy unskilled workers. They litre better of: than wc arc in every way. , As a matter of fact we arc much wor.-e otf i than we were in 11)14. I estimate that an i increase of 25 per cent would leave su;)) a ' telegraphist Is a day worse oil titan hj” was in !‘JI4. .'it. increase ol .'lO per cent, would ; bring the salary up in its prtpwar purehas- : ing power. j KeTcrnng agrmi to the efforts to secure an I interview with the Minister in regard to the i war bonus, he said that the correspondence ! had hern going on since February 5. The j association had been put oil time after lime. | The men had been told that, a bonus of <lls j to married men and £7 IDs to single men | would be paid as from .January 1 to meet i the int. reused cost of living, hut that did 1 not supply the place of the double war : bonus that had been held up since September 30, I'JIS. V*hen the matter had been referred j to Sir Kobert Stout the Government had I stated that if there was a moral obligation lon the country Jo pay the -war bonus, it i would do so. Sir Kobert Stout, had reported fou the matter an dthey had reason to believe that lie nod .stated ihat there was a moral but not a legal obligation. The Government should tell the association and the public wliat the finding was. The discontent in -the service could be removed if the Government would slate definitely what it was going to do about the bonus, and if it grunted the association a conference. If delegates of the various branches could go to Wellington and there place their case before the departmental heads, with the Minister, it was possible that the matter would be fixed up. The men could state their full grievances and put the service on a fair basis. Men were leaving, officers of the rank arid file were getting into debt because they were not receiving enough, and while there was no desire to adopt force the service was getting impatient. The promised interview of February 5 had npt been granted yet, and the men did not know when; they were. The public would realise that they had been exceedingly patient and that they had a just grievance.