P. & T. OFFICERS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 April 1925, Page 1

P. & T. OFFICERS

WELLINGTON SEOTJ ON

WAGES AND POLITICS

AY EI,LING-TON, April 1

The annual meeting of the Wellington section of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association was held to-night. Afr T. F. Falconer presiding over a largo attendance. The annual report stated that members of the service were “bitterly dissatisfied” witli the existing salaries, which allowed in many cases only of the barest existence the rank and file ol the clerical grade finding itself with a salary maximum increased by only 10 per cent, over the pre-war rate to meet an admitted increase in the cost of living of 00 pier cent. The report also commented strongly on the “excessively long hours” worked by the telegraph side ol the service. The committee expressed a strong opinion that the largely increased work and revenue merited an increased telegraph staff. The chairman urged that public servants should confer and see if some concerted move could not be made throughout the Dominion to got some measure of redress so far as salary conditions were concerned. The report was adopted without discussion . SECRETARY'S ACTIVITIES. A letter was received I rum the general secretary, Air 11. K. Combs, staling that bo bad again been chosen by the Labour Represent alien Column U-. to euiilest the Wellington .North seat, and offering to place bis resignation of the secretaryship in the bands of the exi .mlivo if desired. A resolution which was moved, congratulating Air Combs on being chosen as tin l Labour candidate for Wellington .Niiilb. led lo a long, and at limes lively debate. Air Combs slated in bis letter that 112 days of mvuniulated leave were due to him, a ltd a member wanted to know v.by four years’ leave was allowed to accumulate when there was an assistant secretary.

Other members urged that if Die seeertary had time to act as secretary to an outside organisation and take an interest, as n side line ill a softgoods business an investigation should be made to see if an assistant secretary real I v was necessary.

In reply, il was staled that these activities of the secretary were not carried on in the Association's t ime. Other members maintained that the political activities of the set relar.v tended to put the Association olf-sidu with the general public whose support the Association wauled in its efforts to secure better pay and conditions, and also tended to produce a feeling of antagonism between (lie .Minister and secretary. There was a suspicion that the secretary was taking up certain matters to serve his political ends. To this it was replied that the Association stood lor full political lights for public servants, and should not deny those rights to its secretary. A member: We do not claim the right to draw pay while we are directing a political campaign instead of doing our work.

A motion to go into committee and exclude tho 'Press was defeated by an overwhelming in a inrilv. ASSOCIATION AND ALLIANCE.

Notice was given of a remit, strongly recommending the Conference to rc-•s-iud the derision to affiliate with tlio Alliance of’Labour. A resolution: “That this section is of opinion that the Association should lje entirely dissociated either directly or indirectly from any political party, and that the service journal should not be used in any manner for the purpose of political propaganda,” was carried by a very large majority. The mover declared that the Alliance of Labour was merely a body ni political propagandists, who wanted Lo veld the public servants and all other employees in I lie eininlry into om' big organisation, so that, its leaders might upset the existing forms of Government and set themselves ns as dictators over the rest, of the community. Dull the columns of Die “Kalipo” had been filled with the most Communistic matter, and he bad been refused space to put the other side. There had been_ a persisLenl endeavour through (lie “katipo" lo indoctrinate the whole service with the ideas ol class consciousness, class warfare, and such like.

The eongi'iitiilninry resolution (<> Mr Combs, which had been bold over, was carried about 11 o'clock by n large majority in a, somewhat thinned house. A resolution was also carried calling upon tho Association to appoint a special committee to investigate the question of office administration, duties and pay of secretaries, annual leave, etc.