“POLITICAL BUFFER”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 812, 5 November 1929, Page 11

“POLITICAL BUFFER”

POSTAL EMPLOYEES PROTEST AGAINST CUT KEEPING LABOUR OUT “We are being made the buffer of ! j political expediency,” said a postal j official to a Sun man today, referring j to Mr. 11. E. Holland's motion in con- ! | nection with the restoration of Civil ■ ! Service salary cuts yesterday. “The,l j opinion of the Auckland telegraph staff j j is that the latest move is nothing more : | than a piece of political conjuring to j keep the Labour Party from possible I | occupation of tile Treasury benches,” ■ | lie said. ' The position arising from the Hon. J. A. Young’s amendment • may be taken as a pinch of salt to a ; very bad political egg.’’ The Post and Telegraph employees were far from satisfied with the turn of events, and if some tangible increase in the lower rank and file salaries was not given effect to before Christmas serious trouble could be expected. “We are fully aware that we have the sympathy of the general public behind our salary claims apart from our moral rights to decent salary schedules,” he said. “Our claims for i payment of salaries on an economic basis for services rendered is recog- j nised by all fair-minded persons of all i political shades of opinion. “The Question of taxation did not come into the matter. The depreciation account of £400,000 was admitted by Mr. McNamara at the recent reunion as not being required for many years to come. This fund could certainly be used for salaries in the meantime until the financial situation righted itself this year or next year. “This depreciation fund is viewed with suspicion by the large majority of Post and Telegraph employees.” he concluded. “It is a recent bookkeeping innovation that requires looking into.”