Hartley Neita

The last time I saw her was when we worked as young civil servants in the Public Works Department many, many years ago. She still wears a smile that makes people in her presence happy. She still glows despite the meagre pension she receives each month from the Accountant General.

We reflected on what it was like in those days and compared it to what civil servants now enjoy.

She had her high schools certificate as well as a secretarial diploma from Duff's Commercial College. She was a typist; not a secretary; there were few such special women in the civil service then. The certificate gave her an advantage of two extra increments above those, men and women, who only had the Senior Cambridge Certificate.

Government offices were not as they are today. Junior and mid-level employees did not have telephones on their desks. Only the most senior officer in their section had this instrument. One telephone in a cupboard enclosed on three sides by glass served the rest of the staff. The glass was there to see if there was laughter - which meant it was a personal call, and personal calls were restricted to one per day.

No canteens

Offices did not have canteens. Employees ate the sandwiches they took to work in a lunch pan which also had a vacuum flask of malted milk. At lunch time, other employees went to a nearby grocery shop and bought a patty for a penny ha' penny and a bottle of cream soda or orangeade. Every employee had a large, thick, ribbed drinking glass which was filled with iced water by the office attendant each morning. There were no refrigerators; the ice came from an icebox, which despite the saw dust covering it, melted away by mid-afternoon. There was no iced water after that. If an officer broke his glass he had to write a memorandum explaining how it happened and if it was his or her fault he or she had to pay for a new one.

Radios were not permitted in the offices; so no Mutty Perkins or Barbara Gloudon. There were no transistor radios then. Radios were electric. Using government's electricity to play radios was a no-no. In any case, before Radio Jamaica came into being, the only stations which could be heard were Cuban.

Then there were the chairs. In some offices, clerks sat on stools or benches around a table. When chairs were provided, the very junior officers had chairs without arm rests. As he rose through the ranks he got a chair with arm rests. At the senior level swivel chairs were provided, and there were different types of chairs for each rank. The least senior officers were provided with swivel chairs with wooden seats. The next senior had swivel chairs with cane seats, and the most senior officers were provided with cushions.

Incidentally, only the very senior officers had chairs beside their desks for visitors.

Hot air

Offices were not air-conditioned. The cost of these appliances was prohibitive and it was felt that the taxpayer should not be burdened with the expense of purchasing and operating it. The hot air in the offices was stirred by an electric fan.

Of course, the salaries were atrocious. But, we were sold a bill of goods. We were servants of King and country. The country, of course, was Britain and we were proud to serve His Majesty knowing that his officials would provide us when we were old and weary with a pension which would sustain us in our declining years. A promise made, but never kept.

After all, we were not His or Her Majesty or those to whom she bequeathed his or her authority.