Organisation and the Civil Service.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 November 1921, Page 2

Organisation and the Civil Service.

SHOI'LD LABOUR OR EMPLOYEES . ‘ CONTROL.

There lias come to the surface reccntlv manifestations of a movement in the direct of interference from outride with the civil Service of our Dominion which demands very senous thought. We have seen that an endeavour is being made to hnk np the Civil Service Organisations, such as the mikl Telegraph Association, "itli an outside body named the Alliance of l abour Now, whilst we entirely agree that the employees of the State should have a right to organise* for the proper presentation and protection of tliei collective interests, we must emphaticallv protest against Alliance of anj ldnel with a private organisation not connected with the public service. It matters not whether it is an Employers Federation. Chamber of Commerce, Alliance of Labour, Union, or nnv other sectional organisation our opinion is that none of them should be in alliance with any branch of the Civil Service. Human nature is human nature and no reasonable minded ! person will fail to r eahse that rf the ! employees in our Postal, Lands 1 rea ' cure or other Government Departments ! become joined uP with any outside In- ' dust rial organisation they must hecom I involved and take part in pnvatc imlas- ; trial disputes, either directly or w:Pi recti v Whether contemplated or not the inevitable result of Alliance with 1 an outside Industrial body would be that such sectional organisation would come to have a measure of control over the State Department, not shared in Ihr the remainder of the public lie ! believe that the great mass of Civil Servants in all Dpartments will recognise the danger and evils attaching to ! the principle of such Alliance. It would mean in time that these employees of the State would) ill addition to serving the public interest, he called upon to serve sectional and class interests which might at times conflict with those of the public. The P. and T. Association men must realize tnat as

well as an oxueih. .. There is a party ini N.Z. Imth political and industrial, whose leaders are worldnc *o a theory and who want to make nTi things fit into their theory regardless of consequences. The idea is that society consists of two c )“ s f s T. Capitalists and Workers—and that al the individuals should he torced into one or other class. They would split the public service of the Dominion in twain, placing the Government ant bead officials in the Capitalist class, and all others in the working class. Theso two .they say, have nothing in common. The cry then is war from start to finish. We appeal to the Civil Servants of this country that tilts thoorv is both false and absolutely dangerous. Not even in Communist Russia could they attempt to run a eountrv on the basis of such a disruptive anarchic idea .and yet we have Labour leaders here engaged in organising along.such lines. The truth is that tlio whole of the people, including the Civil Servants, are the Capitalists of our State Departments and works. The trouble is that many are so stupid as not to understand that our people, with few exceptions, are both Capitalists'and Workers at the same time. Mr Howard M.U. said, with reference to the Empire, “One big Union;” so it is; our Dominion is a Union. But how are we to class the men who are out to disrupt it ? Are they not socially nonUnionists? We say let the Civil Service have organisation, and may it lie tree organisation controlled onlv hy themselves, without any alliances which, though attractive, must prove but traps to catch the unwary. It will not doubt he urged that State Miners, Railway men and construction workers are in alliance with outside bodies. But before it is concluded that such a reason for applying the same principle to the Post and Telegraph Department, and others where confidential matter is constantly handled let us pause nnl think where we are going. The miners, railway men etc., are manual operatives and occupy another sphere to those handling matters which must be strictly private and dealt with as a trust. The public has every confidence in our Civil Servants now. but any hand of Association which might take place between such employers and outside organisations, entailing industrial' and political obligations, would seriously affect public confidence and weaken the trust that is very essential for the well-being of the Dominion. Byall means lufc the Civil Servants seek for just recognition and a full and fair hearing. They are within their rights. Their own organisation is sufficient if they use it properly. In the public interest, and tlieir own, they would he better to have nothing to do with outside Alliances. As men they are surely capable of fighting their own battles. No sectional organisation of either employers or workers has any right to con. t.rol the public service and any attempt in that direction must be contested. (Contributed by N.Z. Welfare 1 league).