“SHOULD APPEAL”

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXI, Issue 8833, 16 October 1942, Page 3

“SHOULD APPEAL”

POWER BOARD ACTION MEN CANNOT BE REPLACED DISCUSSION AT LAST MEETING “ It is important that we should appeal for these men in the interests of the farming industry,” said Mr W. C. Kennedy at the monthly meeting, of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board, when the manager stated that the board would be appealing to retain the services of seven troublemen at the next sitting of the Appeal Board. Mr Sprague had stated that there was a certain amount of comment being made with regard to the board appealing. Appeals had not been made, however, for other troublemen. Fifty per cent, of the board’s male staff had gone overseas. .Sixty per cent, of the male clerks had gone and the office had naturally been affecte.d. Troublemen would not be able to be replaced. Danger of Storm Damage Mr J. F. Mayn: We should certainly appeal for men in key positions. We have a service to give to the consumer, and unless we make these appeals, we are going to fall down—when there is a hold-up through storms, such as recently happened, you know the whole community in the dairying district is concerned. Position Discussed In answer to a question of Mr C. C. Webb’s regarding the number of power board employees up to the age of 45 who were still liable to be called, the manager said that there were very few left. There were a lot of older mer, round about 65, though as far as the office was concerned there was none.

Mr Webb: By what percentage has the outside staff been reduced? I mean the higher-up officials—have you still the same number of engineers and so on? I have been asked why we are going to appeal for an engineer.

Mr Sprague: Mr McLeod (the chief engineer) and the chairman consider that Rogers should be appealed for.

Mr Webb: According to this summary, the outside men have been let go, there is a preponderance of linesmen, apprentices and clerks, but we still have the same number of officials higher up. With regard to the reduced staff, are we going to appeal for the assistant engineer?

Mr Sprague: We are appealing for Rogers on account of the reduced staff.

Needed in Emergency

“Mr Rogers doesn’t want any appeal made on his behalf,” said the chairman (Mr J. Price) in outlining the position. “If you reduce your outside staff it is a matter of necessity, for there are more calls on your administrative officers than is usual. Engineers have got to take all the responsibility of any troublemen today. “Where you have a large outside staff they could take the responsibility, but you can’t call upon the reduced staff to take the responsibility when they have been depleted to that extent. It is necessary that we should have somebody able to meet that emergency.”

Not Realised by Layman

“The layman doesn’t realise all that and he sees the outside men having been allowed to go and none of the bigher-up officials,” was the comment made by Mr Webb to this explanation. Mr Kennedy: We are not responsible for what the man in the street has to say. The board has done very well in allowing such a big proportion of the staff to go. Our responsible officers are very necessary with the few men we have left and they are conversant with the work of this board. I think the chairman was correct in appealing for this man. The engineer (Mr N. G. McLeod): The point is whether men called can be replaced, and these men cannot be to-day.