43 YEARS’ SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 109, 1 February 1935, Page 12

43 YEARS’ SERVICE

Mr, C. S. Plank Retiring After completing 43 years’ service, Mr. C. S. Plank, Chief Telegraph Engineer of the Post and Telegraph Department, is retiring from that position on March 31 next. Mr. Plank joined the service at the Spit (now Port Ahuriri) in February, 1892, as a junior, and a year or two later he was appointed as a cadet in the telegraph office at Napier. In 1901 he was transferred to Wellington as a telegraphist where he qualified by examination for the engineering branch, which he entered in 1907. After serving as assistant electrician and assistant telegraph engineer at headquarters nd in the Wellington district until 1913, Mr. Plank was transferred to Christchurch where ho became successively telegraph engineer in 1916, and district telegraph engineer of the Canterbury district in 1918. In the latter year he was promoted to the. district telegraph engineer of the Auckland district, which position he vacated to become inspecting engineer at the General Post Office in 1920, deputy chief telegraph engineer in 1926, and chief telegraph engineer in March, 1932. During Mis career in the engineering branch Mr. Plank has been associated with practically every technical development that has led to improvement in the telegraph, telephone and wireless services.

The national scheme for the development of electric-power with the consequent reticulation of the Dominion by power-lines involved many changes in post and telegraph plant in order to avoid interference and reduce electrical hazards to a minimum. Since the outset of the scheme Mr. Plank has been closely associated with this activity, and he became the departmental authority on electric powey matters. In this connection Mr. Plank has been a member of the Electrical Regulations Advisory Committee since its inception in 1925.

Mr. Plank has been a member of the British .Institution of Electrical Engineers (A.M.1.E.E.) for many, years, and was recently appointed secretary 'for that body in New Zealand. He is algo a member of the Royal Society of New Zealand, being at one time chairman of the technological section.