PUBLIC SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 21, 20 October 1942, Page 4

PUBLIC SERVICE

Association’s Annual Conference SHARING WAR BURDEN That the Public -Service was playing no small a>art in the country’s war effort, was giving support in a number of ways, and had already donated £lB,OOO collectively to the Patriotic Funds, was emphasized at the opening bv the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, yesterday, of the annual conference of the New Zealand (Public Service Association in Wellington. The conference will continue in session tut Thursday. . „ In welcoming the Prime Minister, the (president of the association, Mr. T Pound, said that it was never more successful than at present. Though the membership was entirely voluntary, it stood at just on 20,000. -Its ranks included many different groups, and he thought it could be claimed that they were giving general satisfaction. The association acted as a unified body with the rest of the community, and the Public Service was doing its best to assist -the Government and the country in these days of stress. No less than 4000 of its tmejnbers were with, the Anncd forces, and the roll of honour was steadily growing. Members made a small, regular deduction from their salaries as donations to the Patriotic Fund; the amount now paid in was about £lB,OOO, and was being increased at the rate of £5OO a month. . . There were less matters of high importance outstanding to members at present than ever in the history of the association, commented Mr. Pound. He thanked the Government for the consideration given, and added that that had particular reference to the. lower-paid officers of the service. That did not mean that they had everything that they would like to have, and the Prime Minister knew something about the question of overtime. They had fought hard for their interests, but had carried out their negotiations in a reasonable and helpful and always constitutional way. There_ were some members who had considered that they were not militant enough, but he assured the -Prime Minister that they would continue their present policy even if it did mean tardy recognition on some occasions. . Congratulating the association on the great progress that it had made, Mr. Fraser said it had one of the most creditable trades union records in the country. After all, there was no difference between trades unions and an association formed to place a legitimate case before the employers for consideration. The association had carried out those duties for 30 years with persistency, courage and courtesy, even, if clashes had occurred. The association had learned -that if it had a good case, the more moderately that case was presented, though none the less determinedly, the more successful it would be. Mr. Fraser thanked members of the association for the manner in which they had rallied -to support the Government in the war effort.' Irrespective of which Government. was in office, the association had always recognized its duty to the country, ’and had carried! it out conscientiously. About 7000 had temporarily joined the service for the war period. That had meant that the permanent members of the service had had to perform duties 1 that They did not ordinarily carry out. (had carried a greater burden, and had ‘had to initiate into the service men and women who had not had the background of young boys and girls entering the service, and so could not so easily assimilate the work. Hours were longer than had ever been contemplated in the service, but he did not know of a single case of refusal. The Public -Service had risen to the occasion and had carried its fair share of the war burden. He thanked them both -individually and collectively for the way in which they had rallied in the hours of the country’s danger.-