P. & T. ASSOCIATION BALLOT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2414, 6 April 1922, Page 3

P. & T. ASSOCIATION BALLOT.

FAVOURS AFFILIATION

WITH ALLIANCE OF LABOUR.

r By more than the required threeJifths (majority, the Post and Tele,,Officers’ Association has de- *, eided to apply for affiliation to the Alliance;; of Labour, and, if all f ornmlities\ are in order, the alliance will welcome this substantial addition to its ranks. The Post and Telegraph men, while retaining the right of autonomous action, will then be definitely, joined to fhe miners, the seamen, the watersiders, the freezers and slaughtermen, the tramwaymen, the railwaymen (A.S.R.S.), the . .drivers, ,and the (metal workers).' They will be part of an " organisation embracing well over 50,000. workers. It is stated that the . i,numerical strength of the Post and i/Telegraph Association will give that T, body three representatives on the Council of the Alliance of Labour. The ballot closed at 5 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon, and the secretary of the association (Mr H. E. Combs) announced the result of the voting as follows: —- Number of ballot papers distributed 7317

; ...Votes Cast — For affiliation 4379 Against affiliation .... 1973 Informal 38 Number of “for” votes necessary to carry proposal 3811 Actual majority 2406 ’ Majority in excess of threefifths quota 568 " 1 1 The voting then was decisively in favour of affiliation, but it is of in- - terest to analyse the figures. The * total number of permanent employees of the Department is about 7,700, including just over 700 message boys, a similar number of youths and girls between the ages of 16 and 20, and 232 juniors (ages 16, 17 and 18). All message boys and juniors are eligible for membership of the Association, and it is presumed-that the majority are act-ually-members. Each one had a - vote.x In addition to the permanent i employees/ there ; are about 1,200 casuals, or a total in the service of 8.900. The casuals, who include 100 , message boys, 60 postmen, and > others, are eligible for membership, and, if members, had a vote. The actual strength of the association is slightly above the number of voting papers shown as distributed. At any-rate, out of a total staff of 8.900, 6,390 voted. The majority of nearly 2,000 includes officers who had strenuously opposed affiliation with the Alliance of Labour,'and - who are prepared to ' go f^l||m erdly cash, a nega- - WelHdgfon 5 yesterday stated ta a i. representative of The Post their Al-e-1 from tMAHAssocia.•tiondmmediately. One officer stated 3 that the outcome would undoubtedly be the formation of a loyal association. No steps in this direction have yet been taken. v "=

PRIME MINISTER’S VIEW. “VERY SERIOUS MISTAKE.” OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE MULL NOT BE TOLERATED, j 'The Prime Minister (Mr Massey) .yesterday made the following statement to a Post reporter, regarding the result of the Post and Telegraph ballot: — “I think that in its own interest a very serious mistake has been made by the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association in deciding to affiliate with the Alliance of Labour. What has taken place will'most certainly shake public confidence in the. Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association, and in thejjppt and Telegraph Service:

> “So far as the Government is eon|j cerned, we know there are a great h many loyal and trustworthy members in the association, and if tro- . üble comes -we shall be able to deal jrith it. Ona»thi’gg is quite certain, the Government will not tolerate interference with any Government Department by an outside ‘organisation, nor will they permit any violation of the secrecy of the Post and Telegraph Department, which individual members of the service are pledged to maintain. 0 “It is possible some important movement is in contemplation, and the time may come when those members who propose to Mom the \ Alhamie, J .ma,y be called upblx to choose wfiom they will serve % Government or their proposed f allies —and I am inclined to think f this is %n TBfy have' not suf- § •HI i

WELFARE LEAGUE’S COMMENT. ' The Welfare League eomments as %S® s °i n *Sf^is lfc^ h A allot • “We are not surprised s that “the ballot~of' the f*obt and Telegraph employees, tp affiliate with .the Alliance of Labour Has'heen carried by a vocacy by their executive officers was bound to have considerable, effect on the result,, the majority side had several able speakers touring the country in favour of the proposition, the nearly 2,000 who voted against .had free spokesmen on"their"s : ide. ‘' “The! League w has, • - throughout, stated its opinion plainly on the question. It is the most dangerous step ever taken in this country by a large body of public servants. Even now we are convinced that those who voted for the alliance do not realise that what they have done is to affirm by their votes that the State service they belong to shall be controlled by the workers who operate it. That, however, is the policy laid down in; clause 2 of the alli-

r.nee constitution, which they have endorsed. Such a decision is a direct challenge to the general public, which owns the service, and the Government constitutionally appointed to control it.

the ballot,;in bin* opinion a duty rests upon the Government to prohibit this affiliation with a declared revolutionary body, and to demand of all the employees that, as they are appointed to serve the whole of th<j public, under the Government’s direction and control, they shall repudiate the alliance objective which affirms that control of the service shall he by ‘the workers who operate it.’

: “In the interests of the whole Dominion there cannot be two authorities governing this important public service, and public order and discipline demands that those employediii the service shall be subject to the lawfully constituted authority in. control.”