THE P. & T. SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2776, 20 May 1916, Page 6

THE P. & T. SERVICE

' " {jj& CIAL GATHERING —■—- SPEECH s 151" SIR JOSEPH WARD A' smoke, ciprtpert was held, in the! Masonic Hafi 'i ist evening ;:by the Now Zealand Post ani'i ■ Telegraph Officers' Association. Mr. N. : . iB. M'lsaac presided, and there was a vun ' large, attendance. The Prime Minister (t light Hon. :W..F. Mftssey) sent a telegram 'y'.PB that Parliamentary duties preventec'Vi.niin from ibeing present. The toast of '' 'Parliament" was proposed by Mr. it.'- -X fiufigins. . and .responded to by tli ie ... Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Huj'Jp ns remarked that this year Sir Joseph Ward had completed his quarter of a cen. tu -ry of service as' Post-master-General. U n tbnt time he had very closely identified .himself with the Department, and w' - rc was a.ereat -deal of personal loyalty' 1 ;o .him. Sir Joseph Wan 3, ' on .ns'njt to.Tep??, was greeted with roui ids of applause. Ho congratulated the IPS st . nnd Telegraph .'Association on tho ,-%00 d work it-had done for its members, Gi xjal t olianses had taken placo since the eaij'- days of the association. Now the rcsoV. ulions .of the association were not place*!' before ;the Minister at the head of the. Department, but before the Commission.' IS - T(!r y proud of being at the ;h\ >ad of the Department. Tho advanceir ?f the Department through tho che the services to the-public had" opened the way to the advancement o!l ! 7 ,j OmcDts. :It a, service "which tt oU. admit of dilatory men keeping. -. VV 51 : lows steam had to be kept at full head. It was essentially a fine 'department .for young men to get alieai..( .tune.passtd quickly. As to Parliam: IfiS-'- a ' ™ s ture Parliament was a-:W- 0 ? 5 important institution than ever boifaV " e \. as * fine thing to realise that and people were at one in pi vrT.!' & ® e regarding the war. Parliament sho uk'- «e proud of those brave men from the \ l\ost and telegraph Department who . haO voluntarily gone forth to fight for the' 'iff (-onntry. He could speak for the whe, Government when ho said that all Ttiverc jinxious to alleviate any untoward '< conditions -inseparable from war time; i„. „ ._ t, "The- Pross" was proposed: ".by ? rtv : Combs, and responded. to. °, those present, by Mr. F. V,, l veeTes ("Evening Post I ')'. <£.. _ I' None of tho Public ServHfe 1 ? n S"?" sioners were able to be presei ,'A out their health was toasted, nevertliel -leaf. Mr. A. P. Dryden propose d of the Post and' Teiegrapli ; }'Department. Ho said that the Department, > besides having done its own-work well, undertaken other work, and was i 'Vw to undertake the census. This, too, -fiJicy would make a success ..of. • ?• . Mr. W. R. Morris responded. * He said that, the post office was faced v ,'itAh grave problems begotten of the war. kpst }'? ar over 700 officers obtained leavo . fe l enlist. The roll of honour was mounting U"P> and §1 had been killed. It was to the'( t onour of tho men who were enlisting' to, help their fellow men, and when the J, j Mine back everything possible >a .\ done for them. He-was suVe tho 'Govc invnenl would see that a full- measure of ' us, sistauco was given returned men. T he isepartmeut's own men would,.of B° back into the Department, aiul lie th an effort should bo made to employ i in-.-the service.. .The inroads- which war had made on tlie 1 staffs had to be 1 laigely by the employment of inei eiiced youths am\ women, ; tlio latter temporary basis. With the advent of Wft a ; pulsory service, which!seemed inevit the demands on tho service woulo 1 }» :very heavy..'lt was estimated tnat''i' a ' least 1500 would, be liable for servicer all were called at once serious dislb oa tion' would result, but, no doubt tt iat would be avoided. Only as a last rest irfr would exemption fce asked for. . It w as proposed to train , a certain number t»f women in Morse operating.. L'ho feainir 'K of youths would bo continued.' It 6 hoped thaLthe Government would affonf the lower-paid officers some measure of relief from tho high cost of living. He nsketl the officers to practice economy_ in -the.use of material, in view of the high ! co 4 of materials. I • .■•! -Other toasts were: '"The P.. and T. Officers' Association" _ (proposed by . Mr. J: "Jlul'vey and responded, to'by-.Messrs. ' Camp 'and ' Townsend)"Kindred Assi>i' ciations" (Messrs. : E.' J; C.'Whiting"'and J-. Fraser Thomson); • "The. Delegates" (Messrs. V. Harris and F. Lemruon); "Alisent Comrades." During the evening songs and recitations wcregiven.. •