PHENOMENAL HONESTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5290, 22 June 1928, Page 4

PHENOMENAL HONESTY.

CIVIL SERVANT’S CLAIM.

TURNOVER, £176,000,000.

“The public doesn’t know the size of the Post and Telegraph Depart, ment,” said its principal officer, Mr G. McNamara, at the Post and Telegraph reunion in Hastings; “nor,” he continued, “the extensiveness of its affairs. “There is one little item—-our turnover. In this country, with its population of about a million apd a half, our turnover last year (and i t was •not our biggest) was £176,000,000. Two years ago it .was £205,000,000. Then the slump handled us rather roughly. For every man, woman, and child in the Dominion, that is a lot, it works out at £l5O each. That’s the Pop 1 Office that sends your letters and telegrams and banks your money. “That shows our phenomenal honesty,” Mr McNamara added, with a twinkle, “and it is a marvel that the public doesn’t lose at least £50,000,000 a year for it. I said to a Cabinet •Minister that our percentage of loss was inflnitesima,!. ‘Put a dot there,’ I said, ‘and go for a walk, and put naughts down as you go, apd that will just about represent the figure.’ “I think that the smallness of our losses proves our honesty, our esprit de corps, and our loyalty in the Gov) eminent of the day—especially when you remember that there are 10,000 men and women engaged in handling that huge turnover. “The postal service is my hobby,” added Mr McNamara, “aaid if it were not I would be glad to get away from it at 5 o'cock every night—but 1 am not. I can go among the leading men of New Zealand <yid teH them that I think of our service, and they cannot contradict me.”

Advising those present to give the pubic the best possible service, Mr McNamara said: “Should the time come .when you peed the public’s respect you’ll get it. The public will say, ‘They’re jolly good fellows, and they deserve all that can be done for them.’ ”