The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1932. THE STATE AND ITS SERVANTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 April 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1932. THE STATE AND ITS SERVANTS.

Two organisations representing members of the public service—the Public Service Association and the Post and Telegrapli Ufficers’ Guild—have dissociated themselves from the activities in which certain other bodies of public servants are engaged in resistance to the economy measures of the Government. These activities are connected with an industrial conference that is being held' in Wellington with the view of concerting measures which, it is hoped by it, will prove embarrassing to the Government and even deflect it from the course that is being followed by it in its plan for placing the finances of the country on a sound footing. Largely instrumental in the summoning of the conference was the Alliance of Labour, a prominent official of which thought fit at a public meeting last week to make delicate reference to “a triumphant beast called the Govetnment.” And, as might be anticipated from a eon-ferom-e In which the Alliaitee of Labour everts its ‘influence, “direct action’’ seems to have been freely indicated as a form of reprisal to the - prosecution by the Government erf its economy campaign. A one-day strike and even a general strike are among the measures which have apparently commended themselves to a section, at least, of the conference as weapons that might suitably be employed against the Government. It As only necessary in connection with threats of this character to point out ns the Otago Times does, that the Government is not merely an association composed of the members of Parliament who constitute the Ministry hut that it is the agent of the whole State and that in what it does it is simply executing a mandate that was given to it by the electors as recently ns a few months ago. Yet it has been seriously claimed that associations, representing the great majority of the post and telegraph • and railway employees and over 4!) per rent, of all State servants are actively participating in the conference at which the desirability of “direct action” against the Government—in other words, the State—is being discussed. On the assumption that this claim is well-founded, though the assumption seems a: very large one. the public- service mwst contain a larger proportion of foolish individuals than would generally be credited. And it is certainly not surprising that the more responsible organisations of public servants should dissociate themselves from activities that reflect so unfavourably upon those engaged in them as the activities of those employees of the State who are participating in this industrial conference muist do.