P.& T. CUT

Hokitika Guardian, 30 October 1929, Page 8

P. & T. CUT

■OFFICIAL STATEMENTS. j I '(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, October 28. I am not interested in the political position. Parliament, sets the tune and I. endeavour to play it as it should be played, said Mr J. McNamara (Secretary of the P. and T. Department) at the annual reunion of the Auckland section of employees on Saturday night. lam endeavouring. to assist the service to reach its ends, and to make it happy and contented in every way. Ten years ago I discussed the regrading. We had then the best regrading we have eyer had. It brought the service from obscurity into the 1 have said it and 1 .say it again it is a physical impossibility to restore Uncuts and if anyone, is so foolish a.-; to try, he will create greater anomalies than we have ever had in the past. You, as ah are no longer interested ip the cuts but some tf you want to know why the reclassification is delayed this year. That list has been delayed deliberately in your interests. I wished to know the decision of the Government which is right out of my hands. When the decision that the salary schedules were not to ; be altered was reached the other day. after a delay caused by the ill-health of the Prime Minister, I proceeded with the list. There have been no alterations in schedules and so the list will appear in due. course. With regard to schedules there has been a misunderstanding in some quarters. There is no provision in the Act for a new schedule every five years. Regrading is provided for every five years while it can also be carried out from day to day. No government of this country will give you a law permitting schedules to be altered .every five years. Parliament must control the expenditure of the country and will not hand it over to me or any other head of a department. I' have seen other postal services in operation. You have been asking for the Australian system. I say look' before you leap., Distant fields look- greener. I have full information in Wellington down to the last detail about the Australian system and I can only say that I would be very sorry to see Australian conditions imposed on the postal service •of the Dominion.

I understand there is a feeling of resentment that the position created ip. 1922'has never been, rectified, saidHon. Stall worthy. So far as the Government is concerned and so far as Parliament is .concerned; there is a genuine desire to right any injustice which may have been done to the Post and Telegraph or to any other branch, but where is the money to come from. The Minister went on to outline the Government’s committments adding that the Department’s profits totalled £36,000 last year, while the salaries amounted to £309,000 and a further £200,000 was required to put the Department on a sound business basis as regards depreciation. I am not here to make any promise but I can say that reclassification of the service is at present going on he concluded.