CIVIL SERVICE AND POLITICS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 December 1929, Page 7

CIVIL SERVICE AND POLITICS

(By X.)

In the by-election to he held shortly in the Hull electorate through the retirement Oi' Mr Wilford ilrom active pnlii.es the dice is again heavily leaded as against, the Li or.d candidate. The Labour vote will of course he solid as usual, hut the other votes are to ho split up between the Liberals, the Reformers. As if this were not sufficient handicap advantage is being taken of disaffection stirred up in the Civil Service over the salary “ cut ” made by the Coates Government some years ago to influence the voting' ill, favour of 1 nbor. Mr Holland is said to have addressed a meeting at Westport, largely composed 01 Civil Servants in which he urged them to “ 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 df their organisations behind the Labor party, both in tFie Hutt contest and in the next general election, which may lie nearer than many people suppose.” A direct bid was made for tbe vote and support of the- Civil Service by a pronvse of higher salaries when Labor gains office. Mr Coates has also endeavoured to place himself “ on side ” with the Service by stating he is prepared to support an increase of salaries next year. At present there seems to he no further bids for the Civil Service vote.

Rut is the' Civil Service vote to go to the highest bidder? I doubt it very much, as tFie average intelligence of tile service is quite able to see through the political, and unsavory move. It is not only a reflection on the intelligence of the service, hut opens up the vary serious question as to whether democracy can ever be rendered safe for the world. If it were to he admitted that political morality had fallen so low that offers of pecuniary benefits to como would be sufficient to capture votes then the whole scheme of democracy falls to the ground. Votes to the highest bidder presupposes ignorance and low mentality on tlie part of the voter. It used to be urged that democratic rule must he futile when voters would sell their votes for a glass of beer. For the sake of morality, tlie safety of our Empire, and the maintenance of civilisation it is to he trusted that tho danger of this is long past. Rut the attempt to bribe the voters of the Civil Service to sell their votes for a mess of pottage should long lie remembered as one of tlie most discreditable proceedings ever covered up under the cloak of political party tactics.