PUNISHMENT HARSH, OFFICIALS CONTEND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18958, 2 January 1930, Page 8

PUNISHMENT HARSH, OFFICIALS CONTEND.

APPEAL ON BEHALF OF DISMISSED MEN. (Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, January 2. Considerable concern has been expressed by the telegraph operating staff at the Chief Post Office over the dismissal of six of the members, following the recent Departmental inquiry concerning the use of the office telephones for betting. A strong protest expressing the view that the penalty inflicted was too severe has been forwarded to Sir Joseph Ward. It was held by the staff in their protest that their superior officers broke one of the Departmental rules in taking the action which they describe as bordering on espionage, and that there was more than a suspicion that the present charges were instigated by a bookmaker. It was also felt that the Department’s attitude in supplying telephones to bookmakers and receiving betting telegrams was inconsistent with the treatment of the officers dismissed. Another point made was that the Magistrate who heard the charges should have been empowered to make recommendations regarding penalties. The communication to the PostmasterGeneral also pointed out that all the men dismissed had good records, some with war service. Three were married. Except in one case no differentiation was made, although some cases were quite different from the others. The

Iliiiiiililllilllllllllllllilllllllllillllilllllliiilillllllililllllllliillllllllilllllllllllllillllllllllk men were placed in a most difficult position. The older ones were specialists, and by nature of their life-long training were quite unfitted for any other occupation. It was calculated that the total monetary loss to the men would be approximately £6BOO. The brother officers of these men plead for reconsideration of the penalties. The protest concluded: “Both the staff and the public realise that the men have been guilty only of minor breaches of the regulations, and that they could not have been more severely dealt with had they committed some criminal or dishonest act.”