POST AND TELEGRAPH.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1921, Page 5

POST AND TELEGRAPH.

Local officers foregather. TO DO HONOR TO MR. FOOKES. The retirement of Mr. H. E. Fookes from the Post and Telegraph Department after thirty-seven years’ service was marked by a- function held in his honor by officers of the department at the Kawaroa Park Bungalow, New Plymouth, last night. There was an attendance of over ninety, which included a number of visitors as well as members of the New Plymouth staff (of both sexes), and representatives from country districts, and many tributes were paid to the retiring officer’s work and the ability he has shown during his lengthy career, of which the latter part lias been as superintendent of the telegraph branch at New Plymouth. The chief postmaster (Mr. H. Bree) presided. “The Department” was proposed by the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson), who said New Zealanders had reason to be proud of the efficiency and high standard of the Post and Telegraph Department. Mr. Bree (chief postmaster; said the department, by means of its various branches, served as a great public utility, and entered closely into the social and business life of the community. All were dependent upon the efficiency of the members of the staff. “OUR GUEST.” The chief toast of the evening, that of “Our Guest,” was proposed by the chairman, who said Mr. Fookes was terminating a long and honorable career in the public service, having joined the Post and Telegraph Department as a. postal cadet in New Plymouth on February L 1885, and with the exception of some nine years at Wellington, his whole service had been rendered at New Plymouth. He was, therefore, as well known as the town clock. Their guest, however, had been undemonstrative, remarked Mr. .Bree humorously, though Lady Jellicoe, whose rooms were adjacent to the post office, had remarked that the clock was much too noisy.

When Mr. Fookes joined the service the office was conducted in a small part of the wooden portion of the present building, but the size and working of the department in New Plymouth had now extended to a larger size. Mr. Bree concluded by asking Mr. Fookes to accept, on behalf of himself and Mrs. Fookes. a memento from the officers who had served under him, in the shape of a gramophone, and they desired him to preserve it, not for the intrinsic value, but as a token of his associations in New Plymouth. Mr. Harton spoke of the fine qualities of Mr. Fookes, whom he regarded as a model officer. . Mr. W. H. G. Brown said that it had been a great pleasure for him to serve under such a capable and courteous officer as Mr. Fookes, who, he explained, was retiring of his own free will in order to help others in the service. It was an act of self-abnegation that was quoted throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion. Mr. T. C. List (president of the Chamber of Commerce), paid a warm tribute to the services rendered to the commercial community by Mr. Fookes, who had earned their respect and gratitude. He also eulogised the Post and Telegraph Department and acknowledged its ready assistance in connection with anything brought forward by the Chamber and the business people generally.

CHANGES WITNESSED/ Mr. Fookes. who was enthusiastically received, said he regarde<l the function that evening as a great compliment to himself, and one which he much appreciated, as he did the kindly references made to him by the various speakers. He had been in many parts of New Zealand, but New Plymouth “easily held the palm,” no place being comparable with it. That was why he had not left the town, though by so doing he max ‘ have obtained advancement in the ser vice. > The Post and Telegraph Department had always endeavored to meet the wishes of the commercial community, though of late this had been rendered impossible by the absence of the necessary material. Matters in this connection, however, were improving, and from January next supplies should be regularly forthcoming. He deeply appreciated the goodwill of his fellow officers, as evidenced by their presence and presentation that evening. He had always tried to give them, as he did the public, a square deal. He had been in the service for a period of 37 years, and during that time he had served four under-secretaries and live chief postmasters —Messrs. Holdsworth, Chainey. Dryden, Burton, and Bree. He contrasted the conditions obtaining when he first joined the service with those obtaining to-day. Then it was no common thing to put in 14 hours a day. There was a ’Frisco mail each month. There was no railway to the breakwater, and the mails were brought into town by horse-drawn vehicles. No shelter from the weather existed at the port, and he had often spent half a night in a cement barrel. Then they would have to work the night through in order to get the mail away. There was no travelling post office in those

days, and so they had to make up the mails for distant parts. Postage rates were about the same then as now, excepting foreign correspondence. Telegraph charges were also about the same, except for Press messages, which had recently been appreciably increased He described the wonderful development of the mechanical part of the service during the period he had been with the department, and touched upon the difficulty of keeping the telephone exchange and other parts of the office open during the epidemic. They succeeded, however, by enlisting the help of ex-officers, who came forward willingly, and thus they were able to help the” central committee in the splendid work of succour they were engaged conclusion, Mr. Fookes said there was an impression abroad that the retirement of an officer meant imposing | a burden on the State in so far as his pension concerned. This was not | so. for lus pension came from the Superannuation Fund, to which the officer themselves subscribed, mentioning that this fund to-day had a. credit balance of a million and a half sterling. He

could have stayed on, but when r.e was assured of his pension being forthcoming, he preferred to go himself rather than see a younger man with a family dispensed with. (Applause.) The toast of “The Parliament of New Zealand” was proposed by Mr. H. E. Fookes, who said he thought the people had every reason to be proud of their Parliament. It was a model to manv other Parliaments in the world, and’was a worthy off-spring off the great Mother Parliament—-tne British House of Commons. Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.l respondiiicr paid a tribute to the guest of wfosiijifa uid said he had always

found Mr. Fookes a just officer and a, gentleman. Referring to Parliament, he said that the complexities of human life were such that not only in New Zealand, but throughout the whole world there was an unrest and dissatisfaction existing with the social system that the best men in Parliament could not satisfy everyone. He believed, however, that every man there was imbued with the desire to further the interests of the country. Mr. Jennings touched on his experiences during his recent trip abroad, and remarked that he had had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lloyd George. Whatever people mignt have said about that statesman, he believed there was no man more earnest than Mr. Lloyd George was in regard to the betterment of the condition of the whole of the people. To him was due the credit of settling a great problem which had been keeping a people apart —the Irish question. “THE LOCAL BODIES.”

“Local Bodies” was proposed by Mr. W. H. G. Brown, who referred to the harmony and co-operation that had existed between the Post and Telegraph Department and the local bodies in New Plymouth. This had been due, in a large measure to the sincere efforts of the chief postmaster and their guest of the evening. Mr Brown paid a tribute to tho efforts which had been made by Mr. Fookes to satisfy the demand, of the people of New Plymouth and 'taranaki for telephone installations during the difficult periods of the war. He said the local bodies had always approached the Post and Telegraph De* partment in New Plymouth in a courteous manner in regard to any requests they had to make, and the' officers of the department were fortunate in this respect. The town was privileged in having a metallic circuit system, and he believed it could also be said that the people received efficient attendance from the operators. He made the suggestion that before his retirement Mr Fookes might make a proposal to the * department with the idea of securing as improved service between New Plymouth and Auckland by the installation of a metallic circuit.

The Mayor responded, and expresses pleasure in having the opportunity oi joining in the compliment to an old personal friend in Mr. Fookes. He was glad to hear their guest’s opinion ol New Plymouth, and remarked that il all thought as he did that it was the best little town in New Zealand, il would help a good deal to push matters along. It had often been said that the position of civil servants debarred them from participating in local body work. He suggested that with the number of officers at present retiring with plenty of experience, and not too much age, they might turn their attention to local activities. He commended this aspect to Mr. Fookes. SACRHFICE OF SERVICE. In associating himself with the toast Mr. T. C. List (president of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce), said that though local body work necessitated a. good deal of sacrifice, New Plymouth was worthy of all the help that any man who had a stake, in the town, could give. He was quite in agreement with Mr. Fookes, who said it was the best little town in New Zealand, and believed that it would eventually be the best “big” town in New Zealand, provided everyone did his bit. The Borough Council was one of the main spheres of local body work, and in this connection he desired to point out that there was something wrong with the present system. He had asked active and successful business men why they could not Assist as members of the Borough Council, and they had replied they were quite willing to help, but could not make the pecuniary sacrifice which ■was entailed by the operation of the Act which prevented them doing any work for the borough. No doubt the intention of the Act was quite all right at one time, because there had been a lot of abuse in connection with positions on local bodies. He did not think, however, it was ever contemplated, that boroughs would enin so many important services, as°New Plymouth was engaging in today, and he hoped that the law would be amended in a way that whilst providing necessary safeguards, it would not penalise live business men from doing their share in the municipal and public life of the community. The chairman said there were three things which had impressed him when he first came to New Plymouth. These were the matter of access by road to the wharf (which he believed had now been settled), the securing of a metalled road through to Te Kuiti, and the completion of the Stratford Main Trunk railway. _ Other toasts were: "Ex-Officers (proposed bv Mr. W. K. Coleman and responded’to by Mr. W. J. Chainey); “The Ladies” (proposed by Mr. J. Gillick and responded to by Miss H. Harding) ; and “The Press” (proposed by the chairman and responded to by Messrs. Penn, Herald, and List, News). A number of enjoyable musical items were contributed during the evening by the two little Misses Crawshaw (pianoforte solos excellently rendered), Messrs. Wainsworth, F. R. Frederic. R. Murphy, and L. Smith, and Sergeant-Major Gill. Miss Worn presided at the piano. The gathering concluded with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” and the National Anthem.