POST AND TELEGRAPHS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 September 1923, Page 4

POST AND TELEGRAPHS

WONDERFUL PROGRESS. WELLINGTON. Sept. 3. The new Secretary to the Post and Telegraph Department (Mr A. T. Alarkinau), speaking at the presentation to the late secretary (Air R. Ji. Morris)i who has retired after 48 years’ service, remarked that in the past six years the Post and Telegraph Department had had six secretaries only, but there had l>cen as many as thirty Post-masters-General. So that the average “life” of .the political head of the department was two years, while that ol the- secretary was ten years. PAST SECRETARIES. Some of their tongs, however, had boon very short. The first secretary, Air G. E. Elliott, held office about ten years, hut his successor, Air William Gray, senior, for one year only. Air Wm. Gray jnr., however, occupied the position for thirty-three years, and was known as the “father of the post office.” He died in harness in 1907, and was followed by Air Donald Robertson, who held the office for live years, and then became Public Service Commissioner. Then came Air W. R. Alorris, who was secretary for- six or seven years, and also relinquished the post to become Public Service Commissiner. Next came 1!. B. Alorris, whom they had met that morning to honour, and who was secretary to the department for three rears, SO AIE COAI PAULSONS. None of the present, not even Air Alorris, he thought, could remember beyond Air William Gray, junior. Duis ing the years that Air Gray was secretary, the department was a very small one. They used to mention that they had a good year when the revenue reached £l-10.OIK) to £150,0(X) a year, and there was great talk when the total number of employees passed the 120 i) mark. Now they lmd. some DO!)!) employees in the department; while the revenue last year was up to £2,S(K),and this year they hoped that it would reach somewhere near £3,00003!). The staff, that was to say, had increased eight times, and the revenue about eighteen times. Th lion .1. G. Coates (Postmastcr- < Joel al) observed later in the proceedings, that white in the past sixty years there had Lean thirty Postmaster-Gen-eials, and only six secretaries, it was an extraordinary thing that in the, little over four years that he had been I'dslinaster-General he had laid no less Limn three secretaries (Air AY. R. Morris, Air R. B. Alorris, and now Air Marianna. (Laughter and applause.)