P. AND T. SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 85, 7 October 1938, Page 6

P. AND T. SERVICE

BUSINESS GROWS

BUT PAY LAGS

REUNION SPEECHES

The annual reunion of the P. and T. Association was thoroughly en joyed by some 1500 members and guests who danced at the Masonic Hall last night, the supper interlude at 10.30 p.m. being the occasion of some plain speaking on the part of members. Mr. J. G. Churchill, president of the local branch, presided: Apologies were received from the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage), the Postmaster-General (the Hon. F. Jones), the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash), the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb), Mr. R. McKeen, and Mr. G. | McNamara (Director-General of the P. and T. Department). The loyal toast honoured, the toast of the P. and T. Department was proposed by Mr. R. A. Wright, who said he thought the difference between the Department and the association was that between Capital and Labour, but as he stood for the interests of both, he knew his position. He gathered that a record year's work had been done by the Department, an increase being shown in all phases of its activities. The receipts for the year were £4,302.244 compared with £3.880,008 for 1936-37. The Post Office Sayings Bank had had a record year. Members of the Department's staff came more into contact with the general! public than any other Government service. He was glad to note in the Post-master-General's report that there were very few complaints, for which the staff was to be commended. Where there were complaints the blame in 99 cases out ot 100 lay outside the Department. Neither . the commercial nor social life of the community could carry on without it. Replying, Mr. J. G. Young (Deputy Director-General), who was greeted with the first musical honours, said he hoped to retain the good will of the staff as thus expressed. It had not been possible to keep in contact with the staff as much as was desirable, but he hoped that this would be remedied. The Department was efficient, but no concern was 100 per cent, so; though it liked to keep in the collar and give the public first-class service. Contacts with the public were interesting and enjoyable, as there were so many types. A WONDERFUL YEAR. v After four years in the head office he was struck with the smooth way in which the Department ran. The efficiency of the service was not due to one man, but to everybody from the Director-General to the youngest messenger. "There is no doubt great progress ahead, and there will be wonderful opportunities for the younger men in the service, especially if we get the 40 years compulsory retirement," he said. (Applause.) "It is no good one year and not the next, but it must be permanent. "It was a wonderful year. Savings Bank accounts totalled 900,000 with £63,000,000 to the credit of depositors. We handled 14,500,000 telephone calls, or 1,250i000. a month. We alsp held third world place in regard to telephone exchange subscribers in this little country. There were 5,500,000 telegrams, and there again we led the world as far as telegrams per head of population is concerned. There were no fewer than 300,000 radio sets; 79 out of every 100 persons have a set. The number of motor-cars registered was 278,000, one for every sixth person, quite a healthy position. In that we are exceeded only by the U.S.A. We handled 9,000,000 parcels in the year; they have doubled since 1935. We handled a total in cash transactions in the Department of - £295,000,000. Allowing for a six-day week, which I do not like 'to do, that means nearly £1,000,000 handled per day in the service. We are members of a very important service, in which there are great opportunities, as we all start as message boys. May I suggest that the young fellows put themselves in the way of these opportunities, so that when they come they may »be carried : I along with them." | FORMER SECRETARY SPEAKS. 1 Proposing the "Post and Telegraph Association," Mr. H. E. Combs referred to his experience as its secretary for twenty years,. and his regret that he I had not carried on for the last twelve i years. He hoped the association would progress until members of the service could approach the higher officers of the Department and further establish the principles on which everybody , should work and live. The organisation went back to the early 1900,5, and men who took great risks established an organisation which now could go to the Postmaster-General or Director- ' General, and represent its wants to , them without fear or favour. " It did | not have official recognition in 1897. [The Government would not recognise \ it unless it had 1000 members. Then ■ there were no paid officers, but it was not long before the Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon agreed to recognise the \ association as the official medium between the staff and the Public Ser- \ vice, and the organisation had made wonderful progress and had done wonderful things for its members. He spoke of the early reclassifications, and ; said that while in 1920 they stood fast J ! for the compulsory retirement at 40 [years, there were still men with 40 i years and over in the service, and ( the association was trying to place affairs on a plane they should have reached long ago. CINDERELLA SERVICE. "It has too long been the Cinderella of the State services," he continued. "It is no good Mr. Wright saying that we are doing good work while all these years the association has been grossly underpaid. We know that members work hard daily, and that they put through a tremendous amount of'business, but they should be paid much more money, and progress should be made much more rapidly, and should come to more of them than it does at present." Responding, Mr. J. H. McKenzie, general secretary to the association.

Responding, Mr. J. H. McKenzie. general secretary to the association, thanked the Wellington section for the excellent entertainment provided. Bringing officers and their women folk I together at such functions was to be highly commended. He asked that those at work, and there were many so at that hour in a service which worked 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, should be remembered while others enjoyed themselves. ; It was somewhat unique that he should have listened to the toast being proposed1 by Mr. Combs, and reminded them that Mr. Combs was in the position he himself occupied. 1 The association was first constituted in 1890 with an attendance of 29 at Dunedin. They should realise that with the Centennial they would be celebrating their jubilee, with a present membership of 10,400 A MILCH COW? It was true there were cash transactions totalling £295,000,000, that receipts were £4,302,000, and that there was a credit balance o£ £996,000, and