P. AND T. SERVICE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17346, 29 September 1924, Page 10

P. AND T. SERVICE.

CIRCULAR TO JUNIORS. Publicity has been given to a circular which has been sent to the junior officers of the Post and Telegraph Department by the secretary of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association urging them to induce members of Parliament to raise an agitation over the salaries paid to the young men in the Department. On Saturday the Post-master-General (the Hon J. G. Coates) made the following statement regarding the matter:

“ The public will no doubt recollect the extravagant salary demands made by the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association a few months ago. If those demands had been granted, the additional cost for the current financial year would have been £450,000; and as a result of receiving that amount, the officers of the Post and Telegraph Department would have been in the happy position of being in receipt of larger salaries than those paid outside the service for work of equal importance. “ The increases granted in accordance with the new salary scales adopted will amount to over £IOO.OOO for this year; and under those scales the majority of officers, particularly those of the rank and file, are just as well paid as persons engaged in other comparable work. MAJORITY REASONABLY SATISFIED. Inquiry which was recently made throughout the service shows that the large majority of officers are reasonably satisfied with what has been done for them this year. Mr Combs, however, would have the officers believe that he is disappointed at the salaries allotted this year; and so that he may not stand alone in his disappointment, he addressed the following circular letter to the juniors who are members of his organisation:—• “ Urgent. “ Wellington, “Bth September. 1924. “ Dear Sir,- “ He Classification and Low Wages. “As one of those who have the best of reasons for being disappointed over the salary allotted to you this year, I want to draw your personal attention to the one possibility that remains of securing something better. “The Government proposes to reduce the land and income tax dues by £BOO,OOO this year —a gift to the wealthy—while it denies you a decent living. “ T want to most strongly urge you to enter a strong protest against such unfair treatment by writing to the M.P. for the electorate in which you reside. Something on these lines will do : “ Private address. ‘ 1 Date : Dear Sir, I note that the Government proposes to reduce the land and income tax dues by £BOO,OOO. while at the .same time it refuses me as a public servant a decent living. J want to strongly protest against the position 1 am left in without hope of redress, while the wealthy can he helped in this way 1 am a (occupation) at (office;. My age is years months. I have ------ years months’ service behind me, inclusive of messenger service. My salary for this year is £ only. Although T am a man in years, I am only drawing a hoy’s wage. Please protest on my behalf. Signed . “ If you will do this, we will at least put up a further fight in your interests.” “In reference to the statement. ‘ Although I am a. man in years, 1 am only drawing a, boy’s wage, - which Mr Combs asked the various juniors to make, it might be explained that when he discussed the salary question with me, ho gave it as hi. opinion that every young man of twenty-one years of age should be paid at least £4 10s a week quite independently of what work he was en gaged on, or whether he was married or unmarried. Mr Combs knows as well as I do that, except in one or two isolated cases, such a payment is not made anywhere in the Dominion, it should he remembered that he regards any salary or wage under £1 10s a week as a boy’s pay, hence his suggestion to the junior officers. IN THE W A STEP A PER BASKET. “ I am quite aware that severa. juniors have written to honourable members as directed by Mr Combs. The great majority, however, being reasonable young men who are able to think for themselves, merely read the circular and placed it in tin wastepaper basket. “ One or two honourable members have also received a copy of a resolution passed at a section meeting of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association in reference to the proposed reduction in taxation. Thi is another form of the propaganda which is being carried on. The resolutions are broadcasted from Wellington, aud. when carried, are telegraphed to the various newspapers. Owing to the manner in which the propaganda prepared by the pah officials of the association has been carried on. many officers were unaware until recently of the true position of things Some officers firmly believed that there were griev ances which required adjusting, and they were inclined to support Mr Combs in what looked like a t honest attempt to have the grievances removed. During this last year officers have hoard on more than one occasion my Department’s side of the question, with the result that they have felt the facts were not fairly placed before them by their organisation.

ELECTIONEERING CAMPAIGN. “. I have good reason to believe that every officer who thinks for himself is now fully alive to the fact that Mr Combs has been on an electioneering campaign during the last few years., and that all the agitation engineered by him has been political, and, in the main, has been inspired. I can only say that I consider it is deplorable that the principal officers of the association should alio' the paid officials to carry on propaganda with which the large majority of officers entirely do agree.” _