P. AND T. OFFICERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2773, 17 May 1916, Page 7

P. AND T. OFFICERS

CONFERENCE OPENED

At the meeting of tho Executive Council' of. the Post and Telegraph Officers' -Association, which commenced in Wellington yesterday,' the president (Mr. C. (j. Camp) addressed the members at some length on .matters of general interest to Post and Telegraph- officers, and. the points which would have, to.be settled before ' the. proceedings ' closed. He congratulated delegates on the sound position of the association, both in membership and financially, which was the direct result of the reorganisation scheme laid down last year.- , With over 600 members away on active service, there wore nearly 4200 names on the association roll. The. record of men oh. active service wi* a very fine one, more • especially so when they remembered that the majority of thotr members were not eligible, owing to'sex; age, or because they wero married and had children to provide for. He drew attention to the difficulties the association had experienced at the hands of the Commissioner, and how difficult they had found ;it to conserve the rights of officers under-.-his control. Quite recently a movement had-been started to amalgamate all the Public Servants' Associations in order that they might protect and extend interests in common. A suggested constitution for a Grand Council to effect this end would-be placed before them, and he hoped that they would decide to fall in with the idea and become affiliated thereto. .This would bo a big change in association working, but the position- was forced upon them,, and ifI they intended to, have ah eye'to the future they would have to fall in with new procedure. The cost of living question had been very prominently in officers' minds for some time, and ho knew they all appreciated the trying position of the fixed salary insjn. The officer on the .lower rungs of the post and telegraph service was in a particularly, hard position, and ho hoped' that they would be able, as a result of their representations, to bring about an alteration, in this position.*. The association also had to face the importation of female labour intoavenues that had heretofore been reserved to men. Only last week there was an advertisement inviting applications from women willing to be trained as telegraphists, at a salary commencing at .£lO lower than that paid to boys. : While they must recognise'that at'a time like the present extraordinary means must be taken to supply shortage, of staff, the substitutes should bo, paid at the same rate as the men they replaced. This advertisement meant inuch to them, and- gave ground for the fear that an era of reduction of standards of pay and status shadowed the service. . He hoped that' the holiday question would be finally settled, and officers who were barred by tho exigencies of the servico from participating in the extra holidays or other publio servants would have ; these extra days, added to their annual , leave. '. They should also press for the compulsory retirement of all officers with forty. service/ who are sixty years of age. The, route to promotion was blocked by these men at the presont time. These individuals could get very little higher in the service,, and seeing that a liberal pension was provided, it was in the interest, of the Department, as well as themselves, that they- should make way for younger men. They had also to deal with.the examination problem, and he oxpected that this would lead to much discussion. They had reached the poiut where they must say how far the examinations should go. ' At; the present 'time they had officers studying a multiplicity of subjects which were of no practical uso to them.. The work of the Department was wide, and afforded an ample field for examinations, and they should seek to have them confined-to' Departmental working. Ho knew.they would'take up all these questions with tho thoroughness that was due to them. ' ■

Sub-committees were then set up to go fully into the .various larger questions and report later. /

Tho following motions' wore passed during the afternoon :—

"That it .is absolutely imperative, in view of the enormous increase in the cost of. living, that "a war'bonus should be granted to officers."

"That this council of Post and Telegraph officers urges upon the Government, in view of the decreasing purchasing power, of the sovereign, the immediate necessity of imposing drastic taxation on war profits, and of fixing maximum prices of the necessaries of lite." \

"That the P.S. Act In amended so as to allor officers augmenting their iri.com'es by accepting'outside employment, to meet the extra cost of living; provided their Departmental duties do not suffer thereby." .

"That all officers en joining or at present serving with or. having returned from military service with the Expeditionary Forces be granted half-pay from the day they were called up. Failing this, that they lie granted the difference between "their military and Departmental pay from, same date/' "That all officers, on service with the Expeditionary Forces be exempted from 'barrier* examinations, which become due during their absence."