POST OFFICE.

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18807, 1 December 1932, Page 12

POST OFFICE.

THE BRITISH SYSTEM. IMPORTANT ALTERATIONS. (From a Correspondent). LONDON, October 28. The Postmaster-General (Sir Kingsley Wood), In a speech to Cardiff business men on Friday, announced the Government's acceptance in principle of tho two main proposals of the | Bridgeman Committee of Inquiry—the | appointment of a Board of Management j and the change in the Post Office’s i financial status. The question of the financial contribution from Post Office profits to Ihe Treasury—the Committee recommended that the Treasury’s share should be £11,500,000, plus 00 per ! cent of any profits over that sum—-is j to he carefully examined, said the Postmaster-General. The other recommendations of the j Committee are to he considered symI pathetically by the Postmaster General I and the new Board. These Include | amalgamation of the telegraph and telephone service and the decentralisation of staff management. The Post Office, the PostmasterGeneral said, was going to take a big step forward which would Involve the adoption of modern business methods with the object of obtaining greater flexibility. The Committee, in its report, drew attention to the rigidity of the Post Office bureaucracy, and, in particular, strongly criticised the excessive powers of Ihc secretariat. Commenting on the Post Office Secretariat’s powers, Hie Bridgeman Beporl said:--"We understand Iha I no executive department of flic Post Office can give an instruction to another department, nor can iI. through its own officers, do anything for which il lias not secretariat authority, either general or specific. Sir Kingsley Wood did not go into detail on Friday on Die constitution of Hie new Board of Milnagemenl. The Bridgeman Committee suggested tint Hie chairman should ho Ihc Postmaster General, and that a directin' general. I who would, in effect, lie general j manager, should act as deputy chair- : man. Other members "would repre-; sent the various functions involved." Policy should he directed by the hoard, who could, however, lie over- , ruled by the Postmaster General. ' Tlie Bridgeman recommendation on 1 the Post Office’s financial status was that Instead of the profits being taken by the Treasury a sum might be fixed for three years at some figure approximate to the present amount, and that any savings above that should be available for improvements In the service. A joint committee of the chief business organisations In the country, in a statement on the report Issued yesterday, regard it as essential that there should he at least two additional | member? of Ihn Post Office Board of j Management representative of Ihc ' interests of users. I