CIVIL SERVICE CUTS

Hokitika Guardian, 23 November 1929, Page 6

CIVIL SERVICE CUTS

LABOUR LEADER

SHOWS THE WAY TO REDRESS

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.)

WESTPORT, N«v. 22

In the Town Hall-tins evening,. Mr 11. E. Holland; M.(P.,;.Leader of'He' Labour Party in Parliament, delivered an address on. tiro Civil Service "cuts” before a large gathering, in which civil servants predominated.

The speaker traced the history of the reductions, and the steps taken by the Labour Party to have them restored, stating that all of its efforts had been consistently opposed by the Reform Party, while the Liberals had vacillated.

Concluding, Air Holland added:--,‘A stage has now been reached vvhqi e the next effective move is with i lie Public Servants themselves. .In past years very many of them luu;e given continuous support to the Reform Party. In 1925, indeed, there was almios.t a stampede of the majority into .the. Reform .camp., In- 1928, flip .clrjft was into, the camp of the a. I nited Party. lii both cases, .the public servants so voting:wore considerably disillusioned. It is true that many i f the public servants have given devoted service to the Labour Movement, and consistent support to the Labour Party at the polls, but in some branches of the sort ice, these nave not by any means constituted a majority. However, . the question nova is: What are public,, servants ns a whole going to do about the future? Motions 'expressing indignation' with those- Members of the House , who on November .4th voted against cue public servants are fully justified, but .something more, than resolutions is necessary. There is the choice of only two : courses open to the public servants. They are not likely. quietiy to sit down, and. like a collectivity of Micawbers, ■ W,a.it for someth.:ug to turn.up apd, so they have' to choose • between constitutional _action (which is political .action), and tire method of the strike. I have no hostilatioii in saying that the public servants have everything to gain by constitutional methods, and, since this is so, and since a host of them now loon to the Labour Party for justice for them, it is reasonable to urge that they follow the example set by the operating staff of the Telegraph Office at Auckland, and join with the rest of the workers in placing the moral and financial support of their organisations behind the Labour Party—noth in the Hutt contest.next month, and in the next General Election, winch may be nearer than, many people suppose.” At the conclusion of the address, a resolution was. unanimously vurrioa as follows: “That 'this meeting of the Public Servants of the Bullcr district congratulates the Labour Party on it s consistent fight for • salary.. Jm.prqvemeuts for the servants of the -'tale, and unreservedly endorses its action in this direction in the session .rust ended.”