VALEDICTORY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 128, 24 February 1919, Page 4

VALEDICTORY

PRESENTATION AT BASE RECORDS OFFICE.

The Base Records staff paid its official farewell on Saturday to the former chief clerk, Mr. B. A. Harris, who is returnin" to his original sphere in the head office of the New Zealand Railways. Ihe occasion gave opportunity for pleasant reminiscences regarding Base Records, its remarkable growth, and the good relations which have prevailed under stress of ever-growing duties. As a mark of their esteem, the staff united in presenting Mr. and Mrs. Harris with a handsome case of rustless cutlery, and two beautiful silrer entree dishes, which were handed over by Miss Bunny, who has had a.lon? association with the office. Major Norton Francis, Director of Base Records, recalled the earlier his. Tory of the department, which Mr. Harris" joined in September, 1915. "Work was then piling in, and. there were anxious times in that tiny little black hole in Brandon Street," said Major Francis, when thev changed from two little of- . flees into "two big floors, then moved to another building, where the space pressure was again so great that the landings had to be used. Finally, the Base Records Department came to its own buildin", which at first it did not seem to fill. But when he saw the large staff of today working under difficulties, because of'lack of room, he began to feel sorry that they had not looked even further ahead. When Mr. Harris came to the Base Records Office the staff numbered twenty; now it totalled nearly three hundred, and it said a great deal for the retiring chief clerk, who had had the selection of employees, that the staff was so efficient and the discharges for incompetence so few. Mr. Harris had never spared'himself in the Defence Department's, service, and the Minister would have been glad to retain his services, but he could not stand in the way of his acceptance of a very good offer from his old Department. The speaker acknowledged Mr. Harris's 'great consideration to himself during his term at Base Records. During the past two months, the office had had as M a time as when the casualties were thickest. On that occasion he appealed to the staff to "see it through" for the sake of the next-of-kin of our soldiers, and now he had to make the same request. "We want Base Records to bring our soldiers backunder circumstances as happy as possible," continued Major Norton Francis, "and to provide the relatives with all possible information about them, so that we can continue the fine record that we have never considered ourselves if wft could help the next-of-kin of our soldiers." . , Hr. Montgomery, formerly deputydirector of Base Records, remarked that he would like those who spoke of "cushy jobs" in the Defence Department to see what the chief clerk had to doMr. Harris, acknowledging his indebtedness for the handsome gifts and felicitations, said he had received every consideration from the staff, especially the director and Mr. Mathieson. who he was sure would prove a worthy successor. He paid a high tribute to the work of the women members of the staff.