ULTIMATUM TO EMPLOYEE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 22, 19 October 1937, Page 9

ULTIMATUM TO EMPLOYEE

Our Own Correspondent.)

If He Wants to Criticise He Must Resign PALMERSTON CITY AFFAIRS

(From

PALMERSTON N., This Day. : Only if he resigns as an employee of! the Palmerston North City Oouncil isi Hr. V. A. Ghristensen, Labour ;s Mayor-; elect, to be allowed to xnount the soap-' box in the Squaro and criticiso the! council publicly over the recent gas inquiry. Th'is was the majority decision of the council last evening wheu Mr. Christensen asked for permission to •conduct a Saturday afternoon open-air meeting hear the weighbridge. His subjeet was given as: "The Gas Inquiry; — Does the evidence justify the Council' s subsequent action?" The Mayor (Mr. A. E. Manaford) was the iirst to enter a protest. "I don't want to pxevent Mr. Christensen from speaking on the gasworks or the inquiry," he said, "but I do object to him as.an employee of the council, endeavouring to belittle the council and undermino its authority. It is time the council took some stand in the matter. Fifty-eight employees wroto to the newspapers stating the decision arrived at was absurd and the council must take some stand. I am quite prepared to let Mr. Christensen discuss the matter, but I am not prepared to agree to his discussing it while an employee of the council. That is my own opihion and I am going to move that the request be granted, but that tho head of the department in which he is employed give him notice under the terms of tho award. Then he can discuss the council and its work if he wants to." Or. W. B» Cameron also thought the time had arrived when the council must take some stand. During the investigation Mr." Christensen was before tho council giving evidence. Cr. Cameron did not think any local body should be. asked to submit .to what was not fair criticism. It was an impertinence. If , a man was going to take up the attitude Mr. Ghristenaen had taken up, he should resign as an employee of the council before taking mp the public speaking he intended . ,to do pn the inquiry held. 4 4 Otherwise this will get out of hand," stated Cr. Cameron. Cr. J. Hodgens pointed out that Mr. Christensen. was a free citizcn of New Zealand and a native of this district. He sold his labour to any individual or corporation which cared to buy that labour. He sold it for eight hours a .day, which left his evenings, Sundays and holidays wherein he could follow ; bi,8 0wn particular bent. There was no " corporation' in New Zealand that woulci dare to say it controlled the minds and s6ul8 of its. employees onco their hours pf labour tcero. ovgr. " We boast of our British liberty," added Cr. Hodgens. 4tl can't see that there is any great crime in any employee taking an interest in a matter pn which the council is itself divided. It is not as if the council was unanimous," added Cr. Hodgens. An employee simply sold his labour under certain fixed torms and hours of employment and after that he was aa free as the Prime Minister or tho representative of hiB Majesty. Cr. \V. B .Teunent agroed that a good deal of what Cr. Hodgens had sai'd was true. Everyone had the right of free speech and somejhere were who would die for it. Would. Cr. Hodgens, howe'ver, allow a workman of his to criticise him as Mr. Christensen proposed to criticise the council? Neither Or. Hodgens nor any other employer of labour would stand for it. The principle was entirely wrong if they were goiqg to give Mr. Christensen employment and at tho same time allow hiin ;o continue iomcnting trouble which should. have been stopped long ago. The council had been very patienfc with him, Cr. Tennent recalled that it was not so very long ago when there wasj trouble at Motueka and the Minister of - Public Works left no doubt in tho. minds of the public a3 to w'hat would ' be done to those in the employ of the Government who dare to criticise tho Government. In the- present case there was just oue employee keeping the matter going through the newspapers and otherwise until the next election. Cr. Tennent also recalled what oue M.P. would like to do to ,the newspapers who tried to give free criticism. "I would welcome Mr. Christensen 's criticism when not an employee of the City Council and I think he should do .the honourable thing and resign," said Cr. Tennent. "When he contests the Mayoralty he will have to resign, so a few months won't make much difference." The Mayor also reforred to a statement of the Prime Minister, who had declaxcd that there was only one authority. "And that is exactly what tve say here," added Mr. Mansford. ''When I stood for Mayor I said I n-ould run the council 's business as I would run my own and in my own business I would not put up„with Mr. Christensen 's attitude." The Mayor added that he did not want to deprive Mr. Christensen of free speech, but he should resign before criticising J;he council. The motion not to grant Mr. Christensen the right to speak in the Square except should he resign, was carried oi the voices.