POSTAL SERVICE

Southland Times, Issue 18849, 15 June 1920, Page 5

POSTAL SERVICE

DELEGATES AND THE PREMIER. INCREASES PROMISED ALL j ROUND. | (Per United Press Association.) i j WELLINGTON, June 14. i Delegates from the conference of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Assodarion had an interview w : th (he Prime Minister to-day regarding their demands for an increase : of pay’ for members of the postal service. : The Postmaster-General (Mr Coates) was also present. i Mr McKenzie, president nf the AssociaI tion, said that the deputation was tepresen-t-Uive of all branches of the Association. ' The delegates had come forward with the opinion tint it was due to them that something definite should be stated a? to what the salary conditions were to be in the service in the future. In their previous ■ interview they had gathered that the Prime I Minister had in mind the payment of somei thing in the nature of a bonus. Their re | quest was that the payment should be by I way of salary increase, i My Corahs, secretary' of the Association, j said thz demand was that the basic wane of £155 fixed at the beginning of the war | should be increased in proportion to the proved increase in the cost of living and for the purpose of determining the proved increase in the cost of living they would take the official figure of 6? per cent. He suggesfccl that the cost of the increases could be mot by the taxation of the increase in unimproved land values, or bv n levy on the greatly increased returns obtained from production during the war. or, thirdly, by revision of the post and telegraph charges. At present there was a great loss on many branches of the service. For example, press telegrams must be rent out at an annual loss of about £50,000.

Mr Massey, in replying, said that after listening to Mr Combs he bad come to the conclusion that there was very little between the Association and the Government. He had always considered that an inerease (hat was to he adjustable must he by way of bonus.

“Here is what the Government proposes to do, - ’ said Mr Massey. 'We are not going to favour one department at the expense of any other department. We are going to treat them all iusllv ami reasonably. We have had this railway business on hand for some time. It has taken longer to settle than I had expected, not that I wish to find fault with those making the inquiries. 1 hope and believe that what the different clashes nf the Railway Department are doing will have a very good effect. 1 think that when they send in their full reports we shall find matters will run more smoothly in the service than for -onio time past. I had thought that the locomotive men would he finished on Saturday. but the committee has not finished yet. and will nor be finished until tomorrow. I need not say that they will draw up their report without influence from me. When we get it, and I should like to have the matter settled before the House meets we propose to deal with their report in this wav: It is not only the railway people we have to provide for. We have to provide for the Post- and Telegraph service, the Public Service, the police and the school teachers, and the Government proposes to ask certain officers of the public service, men of experience and r-.b lily, men such as the Pi.-bbc Service Commissioner, the head of the Rost a! Department, the head of the Railway Department and the head of the Treasury* to assist the members of the Government in drawing up what I believe will be a satisfactory scalp of payments. We have no intention of keeping the Postal Department out in any way. nr nf dealing with them unfairly as compared with other branches of the public service. Every department will be considered by itself. What we do with the Railway Department cannot he applied to the Postal Department, because the condition? and duties are not the same. Our aim is to have the salaries of the public service settled, and settled for some time to come. 'lhat this will mean an increased burden to the taxpayer there is no doubt. I hope to he able to get the money. So far as the Railway Department is concerned I am going to gel tiic money by putting up lares and freights, and so far as the postal service is concerned I am gong to put up the rates. It is only fair that the people using these services should pay. I had not 1 bought of getting something out of the newspapers. That will have to be con-.-idered later on. We shall need all ihe sources of revenue that we can lap. The Government are anxious to do ju. tier to the men of the postal service. 'There seems to have been a rertain amount of feeling worked up about this business which is quite unnecessary. As soon as we get these railway matters fixed up we will settle down to adjust these grievances of yours.''

Mr Massey said that he thought the cost Inf living would fall shortly. and that the j corner had been turned. “You will not have to wait many days, I said Mr Mussey in conclusion, 'T agree w;tn j the principle land down by the deputation I that salaries and wages .should be consistent with the cc»t of living up to a i easonable amount. I think you will find that a fairly satisfactory adjustment will be made. 1 am not able to go into figures at the present moment because, as I have said, we intend to cn shout it in a business!.kc way and lo consult men who have had experience in the management of big departments of the r’tate. If you are not satisfied with the result you can come to ns aim to the head of the Postal Department, and 1 think ymi wdl find us reasonable. The Government are not antagonistic to persons in State finf toy. We want a satisfactory service. and we know that we can’t keep a satisfactory service if the members of the 1 . erviee are not satisfied. The Government 'ask for the nssi.-ta.nce nf members oi the ! service in their uiflirnhies at the present j time. i Mr Combs asked whether the increase ! would date from April 1. j Mr .Massey: Yes; th :t is what I propose. | Mr Combs asked whether Mr Mus-cy acI copied the bads presented by the Associa--1 tion for the increase in the basic wage, I Mr Massey: i am not accepting your figures. I accept now, as I have accepted [ all through, that as the cost of living goes iup there should be increases in salaries | and wages proportionate to the increase, i Mr Combs said that in view of this asj suranre he was sure the service wont! bo ! prepared to wait patiently for the results i of the adjustment. ! THK CONFERENCE CONGRATULATED. I CHRISTCHURCH, June 14. j A meeting of about SOU members of lire i North Canterbury - section of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association was held to-night. The original purpose of the meeting was to discuss Mr Mx-sey’s proposal to grant a bonus instead of the increase in salary asked for by’ the Association, and to discuss the best means of obtaining the increase desired. When the members of tho section assembled, however, the section section secretary - read a telegram from the general secretary of the Association at Wellington, stating that Mr Massey had definitely committed the Government in the presence of the full Post and Telegraph Conference to a pro rata increase in salaries or wages in sympathy with the ascertained cost of living increase. The question of consequential adjustments would be referred to a hoard which would deal with each branch of the public service on its own merits. A motion that the hearty’ thanks of the section be conveyed to the Conference for their work on behalf of the Post and Telegraph officers was carried, and the meeting wxs brought to a close without further discussion.