POLITICAL ACTION

Hokitika Guardian, 2 November 1931, Page 5

POLITICAL ACTION

BY POST AND TELEGRAH SERVICE.

(By Telegraph—ter Press Association) t

TIMARU, Nov. 1

The determination of the Executive of the Rost- and Telegraph- Employees’ Association to .take political action to enforce their claims in respect to their demands for a system of' arbitration in connection with;:the.,,sauries and conditions of the members of the service was stressed by Mr G. A. Wilkes, member ; of the Dominion Executive at a reunion of the South Canterbury Branch of the Association last evening.

Mr Wilke s said that some form of arbitration, so as to remove theiservieo from political control,, was most desirable. He said: “We don’t want the men placed under the Arbitration. Court; but some system of arbitration or something which „will do away with the present, method of having the job controlled by, a politician- who, I say, can’t do the job properly.” Mr Wilkes went, on .to ti?ace the course of their wages since 1914, and dealt with the cuts in the P. and T. Service. Mr Wilkes said that,., the United -.;. Party had it as a plank for their platform, that justice should be done to the P .and T. Service, but b>iioo becoming the Government, that Party had forgotten its pledges, and had failed to honour th.m..... The speaker.

said that? there Vhad been opposition'to thef Assooigtion taking any active part; in politics.' Unfortunately, they had been forced into the position of having to take some political action, in the only way that they could themselves be divorced from political action.

t . “There is the determination to take political action,’ said Mr Wilkes, to secure some system of orbitration, and so to free us from political control, and thus place us bn the same basis as other workers who receive that remuneration commensurate with their service s to the community.” ' Concluding, he said: “ I want to say that- it will be the policy of the P.'< and T. Association to, take political action., with a, rteuf ';|j^»;^: : political' party which’ will; fehioye' thjei service from political control'-.alto-gether.” - /" v. w) • ;