POST AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 240, 28 June 1918, Page 7

POST AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES

$ CURTAILMENT FROM MOr\'DAY DEPARTMENTAL STATEMENT The Post and Telegraph Department is making ils first curlailme'.it of services on Monday next. This curtailment, the .Department explains, is necessary owing 1o (ho releaso by tin Department for military service of a large number of men. Over 2350 oflicers of the Department have already entered camp, and gome 2000 men are yet eligible for military service. The Department did not appeal for the exemption of any member of tho First Division, ami ils record so far in connection with tho releaso of men of the. Second Division is un exceedingly creditable one. In tho first ballot for the Second Division 77 men wore called; the Department sought cxemptou for three. lit the second ballot the number* were respectively 85 and five; in the third; and fourth ballots together, SO and two; in. tho fifth ballot, 190 and; eight; in the sixth ballot, tho final for members of Class .11, 137 and two. The Department hopes lo continue this good record, but it is .pointed; out that if if is fo release its trained officers it must curtail its services in such a way that the work can to a great extent bo carried out by (women. . It has been urged by people unfamiliar with the work of the. Department that jho services of women have not been utilised to a sufficient extent. A large .number of women are in (raining, arid their employment has largely helped the Department in ils present difficulties. It is not generally realised, however, that a considerable, amount of Post and lelecraph work is intricate in nature, and that it takes a considerable period ot time to train au officer to carry cut his or h«' lllltlcs efi »" e,lt " Jv \ young man or woman with a rood memory takes at least twelve months to become au efficient sorter m tho inland mail branch of a large post office; and this is only one example from the many branches of tho Post and Telegraph Department. It must also be remembered that the Department carries on its activities by night as well as bv day. Women can hardly bo employed late at night. When the changes are given effect to the night staffs will be reduced to. a minimum, and work will be forced into the hours between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., during which hours women '■may bo freely employed. . j The practice which has been followed (hitherto of closing mails as close up as 'jHHsible to the time of departure of train or steamer has necessitated largo fetalis being employed to cope with the jnait matter which has poured into the offices at the last minute. The earlwr closing of mails will enable the wo.k to be spread evenly over the day, and all employees—men and women—will be kept fully "employed instead of being slack at •times and rushed at other times. Adequate provision is made for the posting of urgent letters up to a reasonably short time before the departure of t?ain or steamer on payment of. a lato ■'ce. Tho importance of newspapers to country subscribers is recognised; and newspapers posted after the time of 'losing for other mail matter will be dispatched. Although the clearances of letters from street posting-boxes in the laTger towns bavo beon reduced in number, an efficient service will still bo maintained, and clearances will bo made at suburban post offices up to 7 p.m. It will, therefore, be possible to secure the dispatch of correspondence up to fairly short time before the departure of outgoing mails bv posting it at such offices. The Department's aim lias been not to deprive the public of any of its usual services unless an appreciable saving in \ man-power will result. No curtailment j is fo be made in any of the Department's activities where the introduction of female labour will permit the carrying on of the work its heretofore.