The Hokitika Guardian FRIDAY, APRIL 7th, 1922. WHO MUST RULE?

Hokitika Guardian, 7 April 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian FRIDAY, APRIL 7th, 1922. WHO MUST RULE?

The decisive decision of the Post and Telegraph Association to ally itself with a militant body such as the Alliance of Labor is a phase of the times. It is another sign to indicate the prevailing unrest pervading all countries more or less. It is not a helpful sign ps to the future, and it, presents a condition of affairs which never should have beep allowed to come into existence, At the Chamber of Commerce meeting this week it was pointed out I very rightly that (dm officials involved

I in the Association are the servants of the public as a whole, and should not be intimately associated with any

special section, The alliance aims at the employees becoming both Servants and masters—an intolerable position, That is, they will be servants as long as it please them, and wlieh it does not, they will seek to become masters of tlie position. If this estimate is Correct it is not difficult to anticipate difficulties in the future and undoubtedly the impairment of a most important branch of the public service. New Zealand in times past took a lot of pleasure and pride in its 'Postal service. The Department at one period led the world. In those days there wer 0 not any outward signs of discontent and all was well. A new phase lias been introduced into the question, and now the Department is taking up a position, where at any time, whether it be right or wrong, it will be siding with those elements in the country, who in our opinion, take an extreme and distorted view of matters, and who would go to aiiy lengths to achieve the ends desired. We do not know that the Postal folk have studied this aspect to its logical conclusion, but if so, and they are determined to go on with the Alliance, then the sooner Government authority in the matter is asserted, the better. We have ventured our opinion on one aspe c t, and we ma v venture it on another, and that is, that if the Government act decisively they will have behind them public opinion and support ample to maintain the authority which they cannot afford to lose‘at any price. If the Government are to remain masters of their servants, they must dominate their servants no>v, and not allow the latter to, consummate negotiations which would tend, lol! >»-. od to their logical conclusion to make the servants the dictators in the mastery of the public administration. This view is not a new one, nor is it slid denlv presented. There has been the writing on the wall for a long time. The Government c bose to drift along supinely waiting for something to turn up. The fortunate circumstance hoped for has not come to pass, and now the Government must meet the position in a determined wav. There can be no two opinions as to the purpose of the proposed rather unholy alliance. The ,Postal Department is going to seek for something the country cannot afford to give, Rut they do more than seek, They may also demand and go further and try to enforce. An earlier move on the part of the Government* is necessary, and those responsible for the good government of the Dominion will be lacking in courage and the application to plain duty if they do not take measures at once to uphold the position they are there to maintain on behalf of the general body of tile public whose interests in this matter are paramount all the time. Developments will he watched with interest for the subject at issue is likely to be the most critical internal trouble New Zealand hag yet faced, and the "public should be alive to the whole trend of the great question now arising.