THE N.Z. LEGION

Hokitika Guardian, 19 May 1933, Page 5

THE N.Z. LEGION

PUBLIC SERVANTS

ARE NOT PERMITTED TO JOIN

(Per Press Association Copyright .}

MASTEitdON, May 18,

A statement was published in a Wellington paper that tne Public Service Commissioner had statea that no publio servant, would be permitted to join the New Zealand Legion.

This was referred to to-night by Dr. Campbell Begg, president ot the Legion. Dr. Begg said that he was anxious to have the position cleared up at once. He had no doubt that tiie National Council of th s , Legion would consider the position earnestly, and that, with full consideration of the Government’s point of view, and, if satisfied that the objection to the civil servants joining the movement was based on solid grounds, the Council of the Legion would form an Auxiliary, in- which there could be no possible objection to their membership,

The Legion’s position, he said, would undoubtedly foe : '(1) That undoubted rights of civil servants should not be infringed; (2) that the country should not be deprived of constructive thought which existed in tile Civil Service, arid which might find no effective channel at present; (3) that nothing should be done to undermine in New-Zealand, the loyalty of the public servants to the State, but, rather, that it should be positive.

Whatever an individual viewpoint Was as possible improvements in the form of administration, recent history had produced examples in which a suspicion arose that in certain countries a Government in power might attempt to use the Public Service and its vote to strengthen their own position. He felt certain that this danger had only to he mentioned to let those in power in New Zealand see how imperative it was to make clear their attitude Tri‘the (matter ;so that no action,. however .well, conceived in itself, should lie open to' false interpretation by those most concerned. i