"NOT RECIPROCATED”

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1930, Page 9

"NOT RECIPROCATED”

WORK OF POSTAL. OFFICERS. CALLS FOR FURTHER REDUCTIONS “Civil servants are enjoined to abstain from party politics other than by recording their votes,” said Mr, C. I'• A. Waters, delegate from Taranaki to the Dominion council of the P, and T. Officers’ Association, at the annual reunion of the branch in New Plymouth last night. “In remuneration for loyal and impartial services to the community they are said to be rewarded by emoluments and working conditions based purely on the value of services rendered. Unfortunately, the loyalty of the em-; ployees during times of prosperity has undoubtedly failed to find reciprocation in the employer.” Mr. Waters said the reduction of the salaries of oivjl servants was being urged in editorials in some New Zealand newspapers. He referred particularly to an editorial in ft New Plymouth uewsptiper, which urged; 66 • • • Theie will be no other course open than .to cut down expenditure, either by curtailing the services rendered to the public, or by gn all-round reduction of salaries, commencing with Ministers and members of Parliament and extending through every department of State,” Mr. Waters recalled that the Public Expenditure Adjustment Bill was introduced in 1922; and the same year every Post and Telegraph officer, other than progressive juniors, suffered a loss of £l5. The next year there was a further out of £lO, so that since 1922 each of these officers had lost over £2QO in salary. This was a form of taxation imposed on a. comparatively small section of the community, z and he asked members of the Taranaki section to look to their laurels, He commended to their serious reflection the solution to this economic difficulty suggested by the Press. He trusted it woifld be vigorously opposed by the Government of the He appealed to every member of the association in Taranaki loyally to support the Dominion executive, the old organisation, which in the past had always stood .for’ the greatest good for the greatest niunber, and would assuredly do so ill the future. Speaking ns chairman of the local branch of the Public Service Association, Mr. S. H. Brown said his association was only to willing to .work with the p. and T, Association for better conditions. Referring to an earlier speech by the president of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, ho said that the last issue of the Public Service Journal contributed an article well worth the consideration of chambers, The editorial complained of in a New Plymouth paper, as well as certain articles by the New Zealand Welfare League, had already been forwarded to his executive. He maintained the public Press dealt too much in generalities. The Welfare League had complained there was an increase of about 400 in the staff of tile Health' Department over a period of years, but it had entirely omitted to allow for the increase necessary owing to work in school dental clinics. Again, the amount of the education vote had been quoted, but it had to be remembered that the children of the Dominion were receiving free education.