"THE WORST ADVICE"

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 128, 26 November 1929, Page 10

"THE WORST ADVICE"

PUBLIC SERVANTS AND

POLITICS

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—You devote a sub-editorial in your issue of yesterday's date to the question raised by a reported speech of the Leader of the Labour Party at Westport, wherein the Public Service is urged to organise politically for the purpose of securing a fairer hearing of their economic grievances.

Although you deplore class organisation as being against good government and against the public interest, you cannot deny that the farmers, manufacturers, and other sections of the community you mention do so organiseand, what is to the point with Public servants, it has been through various such organisations that influence has been brought to bear on the Government to lower the economic conditions of Public servants.

Is it not a fact that class organisations are the principal factors behind the multiplicity of political parties in Parliament to-day, and that, generally speaking, partisanship has almost wholly supplanted impartial neutrality in the_ newspapers? All such tendencies are based on individual and collective opinions which, in the main, have a selfish objective; but, whereas the average citizen has only an abstract interest in politics so far as his economic welfare is concerned, the Public servant is wholly dependent on political determination for everything—primarily the welfare of his family. Therefore, the Public servant has more cogent reasons, for seeking to influence political opinion than the average citizen has, but when collective Public Service efforts to got a fair and impartial hearing are made the shuttlecock of party politics, can it be wondered that the remedy that suggests itself is "to meet them at their own game "1 When addressing a full meeting of one political party recently, I was laughed at uproariously for claiming that because Post and Telegraph employees rendered loyal and efficient service to the public as a whole, they should be dealt with by Parliament free of party considerations, and remunerated on the one basis of true value for services rendered.

It would be well if cause and effect were examined more carefully before indulging in the criticisms and predictions contained in your article. Is the State acting fairly to its employees in the matter of remuneration and prospects for careers? Does it ensure that contentment and zeal are promoted by thoroughly and impartially investigating.grievances and anomalies arising in its employ?

Tor the Post and Telegraph employees I can say emphatically that these questions must be answered in the negative, and, until such time as the causes for discontent are removed by the institution of impartial and fair investigation, so long will there be grounds for Public servants organising their political voting strength. However, the Public Service generally—l can speak for the Post and Telegraph Department particularly—much prefer to keep party politics outside the realm of their respective organisations. The amiable arbitrating functions with the administrators of the Public Service, for which these organisations were primarily instituted, have been sadly hampered, if not wholly nullified, by class organisations using their "political weight" to impose stringent economies in the Public Service. Imposed in this way, fair investigation as a preliminary is wholly lacking, and, as a result, Public servants have suffered severely and unnecessarily. Nevertheless, I can assure you that fair dealing and stability of conditions are still in the forefront of my organisation's programme, and, instead ot supporting any partisan attitude in politics, our objective is to get Parliament to establish the principles of arbitration into the assessment of remuneration and determination of conditions in the Post and Telegraph Service.

Are the newspapers and the public prepared to assist us in attaining this objective?—l am, etc., "

J. H. M'KENZIE, Secretary, Post and Telegraph Employees'

Association.

[Mr. M'Kenzie evades the main point by quoting as parallels, instances which are not parallel. We have never favoured class organisation in politics, and we do not do so now. We condemned the Labour tactics more particularly however, because they were based on the principle that votes and the backing of Public Service organisations should be given in return for political favour. The corollary to this is that advancement and improvement in the Public Service should be the reward of political support. The Public Service organisations must make their choice of political or non-political control. They cannot play with the party weapon and hint, as Mr. M'Kenzie does, that they may be forced to use it on the specious plea that some other class organisations" arc already using it against them.—Ed.]

Ex-Kin" llanoel of Portugal is an expert in gardening, and author of an important book on Portuguese literature.