SOME GRIEVANCES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 29, 4 February 1913, Page 8

SOME GRIEVANCES

TELEGRAPH OPERATORS DISSATISFIED f, < ; I TALK OF FORMING A UNION. *The statement that competent and «|perienced telegraph ' operators are^ 4»rce in Wellington at the present time $ka received a contradiction from , Mr. W, ,R. Morris, . Secretary to the Post d&d ' Telegraph Department, but' an tjierator of some years' experience put tjke men's position before a Post re* •worter somewhat differently; ■ "For some, /considerable time 1 past," he- explained, 'She operators have been leaving faster tnan the' authorities can replace, them j is' otber words/ the supply cannot meet •tie' demand. As a matter of fact/ the «mtHorities J . have , had to get men from lofiwr parts of the Dominion, and the ' "nea'd office, to make up the deficiency. Recently, So great was the pressure, that rten had to* Work from 8 a.m. to 3 p<m. •<9|ithout a spell. The boys brought up itota ' the Oamaru Telegraph School "to," further relieve the pressure, however •gc/bd-they may be, will be of little use % operator^ until they have had a few fairs' experience. It is the experienced flien who' are leaving, and it is their places 'which will have to be filled." U! Asked what was the reason t>F the discontent , among' the operators, our inIbrmant replied :— • "Well, tliere are several reasons, but Ate principal ■ one is the question of unnecessary examinations. We feel very ilropgly upon this point. The Depart;not content with having us work i*e,ven hours. a day at the telegraph key, must, impose unnecessary examinations 4pon vs — examinations having no bearing whatever upon the actual work in ■$Eich .wo are employed. For instance, -wei'.have to go through an examination tinder. v the.Pofit and Telegraph Act, and •$$s<?. £tn .advanced telegraph technical examination, which deals with telegraph gigineering w.ork— a subject which does i4ot affect our working at all. These examinations, entail a lot of 6tudy, -which « t not fair^to the operator after a trying #ay's work at the 'key.' What makes fl\ese technical examinations^ appear |(i4ici'ous is the fact that they do, not in stay. way" make better telegraphists. On ihe question of salary, it, is just as well J rt' the public to know how the Departrent . treats us. Can you wonder that i to 1 feel' sere when it is a fact that the, ] department has kept first-class teleJ raphists on a salary of £110 per year *r' ifi ' long.a* three years/ when they 1 'efe' eh'titkd' by" law to be drawing *150? This has had. the effect of prodilcHrtg.a, feeling of ( 'irritation in the, telegraphies,' and "no wonder. When we •are -offered 'elsewhere better opportunitiesr, no unnecessary examinations', and eataryacc'ordirig to* the ability of the man, no wonder that we should accept tHem. t That is' the answer to the' query ; 'Why "this drift to Australia?' One niSet not forget, too, the inducements held out to "us" by wireless companies. ■".%£. position: has reached- such an acute 'Jpa-ge," he concluded, "that we are de•atiflg 'the ' question of forjning a Telejp*^b>M»' Union to safeguard our inter*m6, timl obtain 'ottr rights," • , j X DEPARTMENTAL REPLY. i \^t The complaint was kid before the Department, .which has made the following reply, ;— \ "The recent temporary shortage of staff ( at, Wellington was due to quite exr cseptional causes, and does .not. by any-means-justify the attitude taken np»by a, certain section of the local staff. ' In addition, to a number of men- absent on «linaal .vacation, there was an abnormal Jmmber, of men absent on the plea, of illness^ this was met by the temporary 'ie^nafer of, men employed in other IXBnches. It. is true that a number of fi>en< attacked by the love 'oir- change, (jwjtich is so prominefli a feature of young New. Zealand,- have sought fresh fields and pastures new, and, although the Departmeni, regrets their , loss, it .wjshefl.thejn.God speed in their new venture. » Their, place can be /supplied in duo, course, not necessarily, hoWeve*r, by nwans of inexperienced boys from ■ a learners' ■ gallery, but by officers who have\. been serving at country stations until they are qualified to do duty at a ferge, office, like Wellington, their places in turn being taken by the cadets from ' the -learners' gallery. The Department hatf/,at..3ll. times studied the interests of ,, its staff, and no- body of men <has more to.be 1 thankful for in the way of facilities for relaxation than the Wellington * stiff. In addition to numerous retiring twine, ( accommodation is provided for library and reading-rooms, and in order that' the men should be able to get a comfortable meal on the premises , a kitchen and spacious dining-rooms "are being provided., •■"As- regards the examinations, the objection thereto is .not found to originate with the best class of men, but rather W-ith . those .who^ have ■ not - got • sufficient -cooragev'or" application' to face the tests which are enforced' to warrant a man's being , selected for promotion. In - a c*tessifietl service it Would be a sorry thing -if. selection -for promotion should depend Entirely on seniority, and decadence -,woflld soon follow the adoption of *tt.ch/. a, system;, but with seniority and merit , combined a satisfactory selection can be made. The hall-mark. of merit can only be attained by a man mastering the details of his work and showing al'proficiencya l 'proficiency therein greater than his fellows. In > order to demonstrate a nian's- efficiency he is subject to a test (examination), and 1 as the result thereof ie.may satisfactorily demonstrate his superiority over other competitors. It S, not diffidult^ to gauge the capacity of c' man who jibs on submitting himself to the' ordeals prescribed by the Department, but if he lacks courage and application he is,, as a rule, not deficient in the 'art of creating grievances and airing, them in season and out. This class of man is .a source of unrest in any office, Vnd the service would be well rid of him. It does not by any means follow that he is a .callow youth, as men old gnough fo know better are often the worst. A man who has wasted the best years of his life without doing anything to'n't hiiaself for a higher position in .the service- is of ten the most unmitigated growler, .apparently oblivious of the fact fhat he has only his own ■ apathy and neglect' to blame for not being higher up , the tree. "No man. is now stopped at any stage lof his dfficial career from' reaching the jmaximom of the class in which he is jgradld unless he has failed to pass the Test examination' provided by the departmental regulations."

' Here is a suggestion for Castlediff Burf-bathers (ea^s tie Wanganui Herald). A Donedin resident, who adds to Experience of thirfgs' maritime a familiarh,y with the conditions obtaining on. jjfell-known American beaches, where tfuri-b*thing i« very popular, offers thfc Suggestion that a method of adding to *he .security of. the bathing area at the ocean* beach, which should fee both latkfactory and inexperwive, would be Ut> -anchor two buoys in the deeper water 0 shore a suitable distance apart, conaect them permanently by a wire line' with ,on« another, and lead from each 4 rope line to the sh- *, thus completely toping ' in a bathing enclosure. Floats, t, is, suggested, could be attached to' the ild« Imes if desired, while within the >athiag -enclosure, at a suitable depth, 4 rajft could' be moored, after a common American, practice,' from which line*