MAIL-ROOM OFFICIALS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 877, 25 July 1910, Page 5

MAIL-ROOM OFFICIALS.

PRESENTATION TO MR, J. A. HUTTON. Tho annual social of the mail-room officers of the G.P.0., held on Saturday evening,. was a very enjoyable lunction. Ah'. J. A. Hutton, retiring chief postmaster, presided over u large attendance, and Also present were: Xlr. R. U. Morris, Acting-Chief. Postmastei', and Mr. D: Robertson, Secretary of the , Post and 'i'olegraph Department. Tho loyal toast of the King, having been honoured,' Mr. E. C. Gannaway proposed "The Post and Telegraph Department," couplcd with the name of tho Secretary. Mr. Robertson, in • his reply, reviewed the rapid growth of the Department, and remarked that it must necessarily, mean more chances of promotion. As time went oil, they would need more controlling officers, and this he hoped implied promotion for man? -of those he saw around him.

An item not included on tho printed programme was the presentation to Mr. J. A. Hutton, of a fins marble clock, a silver-mounted liqueur stand, and a beautiful epergne. Mr. R; B. Morris, on behalf of the Chief Post Office and district staffs, Mr. Hutton to accept these things in token of their esteem. In the course of a congratulatory speech, Mr. Morris remarked that when Mr. Hutton came to Wellington to assume the duties of Chief Postmaster, he was, comparatively speaking, an old man. His previous experience had helped him little, in carrying nut his new duties, 'and it was marvellous how successfully he had coped with them. This he had done in a manner that reflected credit on himself and on tho Department as a whole. He had set the speaker a very difficult row to hoe, but it had yet been a pleasure to follow in his footsteps. Mr. Hutton retired from the service with tho' goodwill of every man with whom he had come in contact. Every o_fficer desired that lie might long enjoy health in his' well-earned reMr. Morris mentioned that he had received a great many letters, from district officers unable to be present, expressivo of warm goodwill towards Mr. Hntton.

Tho toast was drunk wifh musical honours and enthusiastic applause. Mr. Hutton, in returning thanks, said that lie found himself, aflet half a <Vntury, saying good-bye to the associations of the best part of his life. In a brief retrospect, he described how lie went to Christchurch in ISC7 tn take rhn>g(- ol thu Telegraph Office. The. staff then consisted of . three officers (besides himself), two message bovp, and three linesmen. At that time they counted it a good mouth's work to send » (lionsam! telegrams,, but now they thought nothing of sending a thousand or fifteen hundred a day. He came to Wellington in 1870, and believed that he was the only survivor of the G.P.O. staff of that date. He left Wellington in 3881, and ultimately came up as Chief Postmaster in IAO 3. Since then his life find been busy. Tn 190.1 the staff of the office numbered 120. At present It totalled 232 or thereabouts, so that in the last seven years the work of the <:hicf office tad nlmost doubled, ,and lie had had to fight a battle from day tn day and week to week for additional officers, lie gave them his heartiest thanks for the beautiful presentation, and also tendered his thanks to those officers who had come from a distance to honour the presentation. Other toasts were: "Sport and Pastime." "The Ladies." "The Visitors," "TiioChnirman." "The .Committee." and "The I'ress." A capital programme of snnns. recitations, anl other iteriis provided abundant entertainment.