DISMISSAL

Hokitika Guardian, 30 December 1929, Page 3

DISMISSAL

TELEGRAPH OFFICERS PUNISHED. BETTING BY TELEPHONE ALLEGED. AUCKLAND, December 27. Notice of their dismissal was received by six members of the operating room staff at the Chief Post Office in Auckland following the enquiry instituted by the Post and Telegraph Department into the conduct of nine officers who, it was alleged, had used office telephones in making bets on races at the Takapuna Jockey Club’s Meeting on November 30th and December 2nd. The enquiry was held in the Magistrate’s Court by Mr F. K. Hunt. S.M., and was closed to the Press and public. The men who have been dismissed, four of whom are operators and two distributors, have been in the service between 15 and 34 years, one of them being due to retire in 14 months’ time on superannuation. The amount the men have paid into the Superannuation Fund during their period of service may be forfeited should the Department so decide and it is not known what the position is in this respect. Allegations against the men were made after two Departmental inspectors had listened in, through secret wires on the telephones in a telegraph office, and had taken notes with which they confronted the members of the staff. About 40 officers were questioned, and a number of these admitted breaches of the regulations. Nine denied the allegations which were made against them, and the matter was placed before the secretary of the department, Mr G. McNamara, who was unable to decide the men’s guilt oi- otherwise on the facts in his possession, and ordered a magisterial enquiry. This enquiry was held by Mr Hunt about three weeks ago, and lasted for four days. Each case was heard separately. The men were represented by Mr Allen Moody, assisted by Mr W. H. Brown, an executive member of tlie ’ Post and Telegraph Employees’ Association, while the Department was represented by Mr V. R. Meredith, Crown Solicitor, and Mr Ogilive one of the Department inspectors concerned. A large number of witnesses were called, and at the conclusion of the enquiry the Magistrate sent his finding in each case to the seretnry of the Department. The penalty in the case of those men whb were found guilty rested in the hands of Mr NcNamara, who today gave his decision in the instances of the six men who were dismiss-

ed. Tbe penalty in the cases of other men who admitted their guilt when they were confronted and have not yet been punished, has yet to be made known direct to the men concerned by Mr McNamara, who is at present in Wellington. In addition to dismissal, the manner in which he can punish misconduct includes the imposition of fines, re-grading to a lower lev-

el, and forfeiture of leave of absence. Jt was stated that the six officers concerned intended to take the matter a further stage by placing it before the Post and Telegraph Appeal Board. They have thirty days in which to send in their applications to be heard and these are forwarded to the Secretary, together with the grounds of appeal. The secretary is bound to

send the applications to the Board, to-; gether with his answer to the cases, j The Board usually sits shortly after j an application has been sent in, and it comprises a Magistrate, a representative appointed by the Department, and an employees’ representative, who has been chosen by ballot to sit. The appellants may appear either in person or by representative, and are al-1 lowed to hear the evidence brought; against them the application, which is led by the Crown Solicitor or some other counsel appearing for the Department in opposition to the appeal. APPEAL TO PREMIER. (By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, December 28. In connection with the dismissal of six of the officers, from the Post! and Telegraph Service at Auckland, I the Secretary of the Department, Mr McNamara stated that, in the case of the men who bad been dismissed, their j right to the superannuation subsidy is • foregone, in accordance with the Pub- * lie Service Regulations. They would be entitled, of course, to the refund of their payments into the Superannua-1 tion Fund. j They all stated Mr McNamara had the right to appeal against the decis- | ion. Notice of appeal was required to j be made within one month. 1 Discussing the cases of three other men against whom allegations had been made, Mr McNamara said that one of them bad been found not guilty, while the others had explained themsevles satisfactorily. One of the latter was a boy distributor, who appeared to have been influenced in j his offence by his elders. He was being punished by relieving him of the distributing work, and putting him on to other duties. ' I The Organiser of tlie Post and Tel egraph Employees’ Association, Mr H. H. Brown, who was one of the two representatives of tlie Association at

j the Magisterial Inquiry, remarked today that the penalty inflicted was a severe one when one considered the nature of the charges. The general idea seemed to be that allegations consisted of charges of betting with bookmakers, but he said that he wished to make it quite clear that that was contrary to fact. The men concerned were charged with discussing racing matters over the telephone. There was nothing in the nature of laying bets in that. What they had done was nothing very serious. Mr Brown said that the Secretary of the Department had arrived at his decision as the result of the Magistrate’s finding, and in fairness to the men concerned, Magistrate Hunt’s finding should be announced. So far lie said, the men had not been so informed. The dismissed officers had the right of appeal against the Secretary’s decision, and there was no doubt that they would avail themselves of that opportunity. AUCKLAND, December 28. A telegram has been sent to Sir Joseph Ward (Postmaster General) by tin' staff of the Auckland P. and T. Office, expressing the opinion- that the sentence on the six men dismissed is out of all proportion to the alleged offences. The message continues: “This branch most emphatically protest, and asks you immediately to give your personal attention to this most urgent and serious matter, with a view to a more humane sentence being imposed. These men are smarting under what they consider a most unjust sentence and the matter is being taken before the P. and T. Appeal Board. In the meantime the staffs are getting in touch with the local Members o.' Parliament to see if something cannot be done to have the sentence revised. ONLY CAUTION EXPECTED. AUCKLAND, December 28. A P. and T. official said: “In view of the evidence, we were of opinion that the worst that would happen j would be a caution or probably a fine. No .one ever dreamed for a moment ! that dismissals would be ordered. Such a sentence is .quiet unreasonable, •when one considers the nature of the alleged offences, and the staff is at a loss to explain the quite unexpected severity—in fact one might say harshness. The sentence is neither humane nor just and unless something is done to review it, much harm will be done throughout the service. Had a bomb been dropped on tbe Auckland Telegraph Office, it could not have caused more surprise than the dismissal of the six members concerned in the recent inquiry.” It was learned that 12 men 'out of a staff of 155, were questioned after inspectors had listened in by wire. One was able to prove that his conversation over the tapped wire did not refer to betting. Two others discussed betting with their wives, and one frankly admitted betting.

Nine men were concerned in the Magistrate’s inquiry held by Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M.