ANNUAL RE-UNION

Southland Times, Issue 22729, 4 November 1935, Page 5

ANNUAL RE-UNION

P. &T. EMPLOYEES SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION Regarded as one of the most successful functions of its kind held inlnvercargill, the annual re-union of the F°st and Telegraph Employees’ Association in the Federal on Saturday night in no way belied its reputation. There was a large attendance, an interesting ana entertaining programme was provided and the gathering was marked by an air of goodfellowship. The president of the association, Mr F. Daubney, was chairman, and associated with him were his Worship the Mayor (Mr John Miller), Mr D. McDougall, M.P., the Chief Postmaster (Mr N. R. Mclsaac), and the senior inspector of the postal division (Mr R. B. Reynolds, of Wellington), and representatives of kindred associations.

The toast of “Parliament” was proposed by Mr J. Sefton, who said they were doing honour to an institution which had withstood the test of time. It was easy for theorists to pojnt out weaknesses, but he ventured to say the worst Parliament was better than the form of government possessed by some countries. Their legislation was characterized by soundness rather than fireworks, but soundness was better than the most grandiloquent rehabilitation schemes. New Zealand had led the way in humanitarian legislation and had introduced the penny postage. In Southland they had been fortunate in their members, who included such men as the late Sir Joseph Ward, the Hon. J. A. Hanan, the Hon. Adam Hamilton, Mr P. A. de la Perrelle, and Mr D. McDougall. He had a few shillings in his pockets the remains of the retrospective pay for the restoration of seven and a-half per cent. It was not what they expected and not what they deserved, but he trusted that next year recognition would be given to their claims for re-classification. (Applause). Mr McDougall’s Response. Mr McDougall, responding, said he noticed the toast was the toast of “Parliament,” and not the Government. Had it been the Government he could have explained things better. In his experience every man in Parliament was doing his best, but when people spoke of depression his mind went back to 1894, when there was a terrible depression. When they talked of the way members of Parliament had pulled the country through such a terrible depression he did not believe it. From 1910 to 1929 the average price of wool was £l9 10/- a bale, and of butter 1/3 a lb. Since then wool was £9 15/- a bale and butter lOd a lb, so prices were better now than 40 years ago. His experience was that it was not safe to trust parties which changed their names. If governments played the game they did not need to change their names. It was not a National Party they were going to have. The Labour Party was not represented, and the trend was to keep out Labour. He believed Labour should be given a chance, and if they did not make good, it should be easy to put them out. He was one of those who had stood on a lorry and urged the boys to go to the war, but never again. “The last man and the last shilling” had finished him. Foolishly he had voted for the pension reductions, but like the Prodigal Son, he had got into bad company—and like him he had reformed. The present was not a National Government. Such a Government was composed of Conservaties, Liberals and Labour representatives, but there were no Labour representatives in this Government, and the Liberals were only half-baked Liberals. A true Liberal never changed, but if he did he showed he had a yellow streak, so after the election he hoped to see the National Government out in the cold shades. It had never played the game and for that reason he would not support it for five minutes. Southland’s Connection. The Mayor in proposing the toast of “The Post and Telegraph Department,” said he was very pleased to know there was going to be a new Post Office. He had told the chief postmaster that if it was started before Christmas he would give him a cigar, and the chief postmaster said he would win. He would like to remind the lads present that Southland had produced many heads of the Post and Telegraph Department, and amongst their own number might be a future Director-General.

The response was in the hands of Mr Mclsaac. He said that in the Post-master-General’s report it was shown the revenue of the department, that its profit from its activities, was £3’400,000. In the effluxion of time the department had departed from its original purpose and as a collecting agent it had taken £205,000,000. No other organization, he ventured to say, had taken that amount. They were the only postal organization with the penny postage. In Australia the price was twopence an., in the United Kingdom it was one and a-half penny, but here, thanks to efficiency, they were able to give this concession. Concessions had been made in the last few months, and they would lose revenue, but what they lost in the swings they would catch in the roundabouts and so employ more men. The Mayor had referred to Southland’s connection with the Department, and it had produced two of the greatest Postmasters-General, Sir Joseph Ward and the Hon. Adam Hamilton. Sir Joseph’s name must ever be linked with the Department and Mr Hamilton, for a layman, had a wonderful grasp of the department’s ramifications. The Director-General, Mr George McNamara, had started as a messenger in the Invercargill office, and Mr McNamara was not only a keen business man but a man of vision. Mr Mclsaac then addressed the junior members of the staff, and told them that by application and a little sacrifice of their spare-time they might one day rise to the highest position in the department. If such was the case, he would be proud to have been associated with them. Commissioner Control Abolished.

Mr Mclsaac said he had had the honour of being president of the association in 1918, and he had had something to do with the passing of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1918. They had not been satisfied with commissioner control, and had persuaded Sir Joseph Ward to put through the Act, which put them on a slightly better footing than the remainder of the Public Service. Mr Reynolds had been a member of the executive at that time.

Mr Reynolds, who proposed the toast of “The Post and Telegraph Employees’ Association,” said he had acted as an office-bearer of the association for 26 consecutive years and remembered the days, when he had ben associated with Mr Mclsaac on the executive. Those days had been anxious ones, and so had the days when he had been a member of the Appeal Board. No small praise for the success of the association was due to those who had gone before, and who had worked unselfishly and he desired to pay a tribute to the men at present in charge of the association. In every way he could recollect no gathering that surpassed that of that evening. Mr G. D. Robson, in replying, praised the work of Mr Mclsaac and Mr Reynolds on behalf of the association, and said such work was the history of their association. The association was an or-

ganization of which they could be proud. To anybody who doubted the value of the association he would appeal to them to remember the past three years. They had had trials and tribulations, and for a time had carried on without official recognition, but he would mention that the two recent increases in salary would not have materialized without the association. The association, also, was responsible for the setting up of the combined Public Service committee which functioned in Wellington. Were not they entitled to some of these profits? It was no use being fed on promises. If they waited on their politicians for promises to materialize they would wait a long time. The salaries before the cuts were not a fair thing. They had not been assessed on the value of the services rendered to the department. Public servants’ salaries had been turned into a “political football” to be ' kicked around the House. Other toasts honoured were: “Kindred Associations” (proposed by the chairman and responded to by Messrs G. W. Adamson, Post and Telegraph Officers’ Guild, Stewart, Public Service Association, Finn, Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, Orr, Railway Officers’ Institute and Thomson, New Zealand Educational Institute); “The Ladies” (Mr J. Stewart—Mr P. Prendergast); “The Musicians” (Mr A. W. Evans—Mr J. Harvey); and “The Press.” Items were contributed by Messrs W. Smith, Au Credgington, C. Kelly, R. Henry, Harvey, Liddell, R. B. Reynolds, and Dell Bros., Messrs Dell and Harvey and Messrs J. Gilchrist and Cameron. Community singing was led by Mr W. Smith. Music was supplied by Harvey’s orchestra.