Public Service and Politics.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18372, 4 May 1925, Page 8

Public Service and Politics.

It is not clear whether the local branch Of. tho POSt and Telegraph Officers' Association in granting permission to the secretary-organiser to stand for Parliament did so, on general grounds or for reasons especially concerned with Mf Combs. The resolution that was : c&rried most .promptly wa», apparently, the first—thit the branch, "recognise "irig Mr Combs'a worth arid ability, i*'ahd beliefiag that, irrespective of ! "parly, he Wotrtd he an asset to Pnr"iiament, extends him cordial good '? wishes for SttecCss at the forthcoming "General Election." But the resolui tion of widest public interest—the only !'aae, in facj, with which the public is concerned-—was the s«eond: that "Mr "Combs's service's as permanent secre"tary be retained in the meantime "should he be successful in gaining ; "political honours." "In the mean"timfl" suggests that the meeting had doubts as to the future, but if the clause as a whole means that the branch approves of retainiug Mr Combs as

tion to Parliament, should that take place, it can be said at once that the public would never tolerate such a situation. AVhat the Association does with Mr Combs during his electioneering period is its own business, though it might not be good business to have its servant taking an actively partisan share in a political campaign and at the same time acting, rv attempting to act. as its non-partisan representative iu negotiations with the Government. But it would be a. different matter altogether to have the same man a member of the Parliament which controls civil servants and the paid servant of a group of public servants seeking often to put pressure on that Parliament. Itis to be hoped that this was not intended, and will not be attempted, and hope seems to be justified by the apparent attitude of the Association as a whole to affiliation with the Alliance of Labour. On Saturday night for some reason —perhaps for a very simple reason—:i number of those present left before any resolution could be passed on this now notorious decision. But there was nn indication that those who remained would not have reversed tho decision to affiliate had a vote been in order, while the very frank opinions expressed indicated clearly enough that there is a desire to get back to constitutional ground. It will be remembered also that a similar meeting a few weeks ago in Wellington resolved, by a "very "large majority," that the-Association should be "entirely dissociated from "any political party, and tiat the Ser"vice journal should not be used in "any manner for the purpose of political propaganda." As wis remarked at the time, such a resolution made it plain that thoso who voted for it do not want to hear any more about tho Alliance of Labour, and it is to be hoped that tho Christchurch branch when it gets a quorum will be equally sehsiblo and frank. The sooner the Association turns its back on politics the sooner will it recover the sympathy and goodwill which the public in part at least withdrew when it threatened to mako war on them.