P. AND T. DEPARTMENT

Southland Times, Issue 18970, 18 June 1923, Page 4

P. AND T. DEPARTMENT

ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES. MR A. T. MARKHAM APPOINTED SECRETARY. (Special to the ’rimes.) WELLINGTON, June 16. Important changes in the administrative officers in the Post and Telegraph Department were announced by the PostmasterGeneral (the Hon. J. G. Coates) to-day. Mr R. B. Morris, Secretary of the Department, who has made an application to be allowed to retire on superannuation from July 1 next, is deferring his retirement for one month at the request of the Government, and will cease duty on July 31. Mr A. T. Markham, first assistant secretary, has been appointed secretary to the Department, in succession to Mr Morris. Mr Morris, who has had a lengthy period of service, extending over 48 years, joined the service as a cadet at Timaru in 1875. and has filled the following positions:—Second money-order and savings bank clerk, district accountant, assistant postmaster. Christchurch, inspector of savings banks, inspector of post offices, chief postmaster. Christchurch, chief inspector and first assistant secretary in 1914. Mr Morris was selected by the Public Service Commissioner out of the whole of the Public Service to organise and take charge of the finances at Samoa. Unfortunately, owing to the state of his domestic affairs at the time he was unable to accept the position. In December, 1914, he was selected by the Prime Minister to proceed to Samoa with the object of making inquiries in respect to the conduct of money-order transactions between Samoa and New Zealand. In 1915 he was appointed to inquire into the conduct of the Ordnance Branch of the Defence Department, and as a result of those investigations, very important changes were made in the conduct of that branch. It was on the suggestion of Mr Morris that the purging of the electoral rolls, and enrolment of electors was undertaken by the Post Office, at a great financial saving to the Government. In 1920, Mr Morris, attended the Postal Conference at Madrid as the New Zealand representative. Mr Markman, who is 47 years old, joined the Department as telegraph messenger boy at Blenheim in 1890, and was afterwards appointed telegraphist at Wellington. Subsequently he was selected for a clerkship in the General Post Office under the late Mr William Gray, and since then has occupied various positions in the head office. For several years he was superintendent of staff, and in 1916 was appointed chief clerk of the Department. When Mr Morris was appointed secretary in 1920 Mr Markham succeeded him as first assistant secretary, and acted as secretary during the former’s absence at the Postal Conference at Madrid. The new secretary is the first officer who has risen from the rank of telegraph messenger boy to the position of head of the Department.