P. AND T.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2425, 6 May 1922, Page 3

P. AND T.

• EXISTING GRIEVANCES SHOULD BE REMEDIED. SUGGESTIONS BY THE WELFARE LEAGUE. (N.Z. Welfare League.) The Welfare League has maintained throughout that affiliation of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association with the Alliance ‘of Labour would be against the public interest/We shall stand to that position. At the same time we want it clearly understood that in our opinion the Post and Telegraph' Officers should have what are legitimate grievances properly heard and remedied as fully as possible. In reply to the large deputation which waited on him on the 12th ult. Mr Massey said:—“We,want a satisfactory Public Service and we know to get that we must Have a satisfied Public Service. That has been our aim.” Now from investigations we have made the League is convinced that at present the Postal Service is by no means a satisfied service and that is not satisfactory. Statements of grievances have been suplied to us very recently which impress us with the necessity of impartial, if not judicial examination, and the finding of remedies, if these statements are correct. We never have believed that over 4,000 postal officers de-liberately-voted for endorsing the Alliance of Labour syndicalist objective. Our opinion is that the great majority of these voted as they did out of a feeling of resentment against the administration, and a mistaken idea that such was the only way in which they could have 1 heir grievances dealt with. It is because we consider that is n wrong way and one that cannot help the employees out of their trouble that we oppose this affiliation.

While we are satisfied that the public in general is absolutely determined to insist on keeping our Public Service free from outside sectional influences, we are also satisfied that, the public will insist on remedying any' “bona fide” grievances which exist in the service, this was voiced by Air Carr at the . recent deputation when he said, “I feel sure that in asking for the remedying of any wrongs the Post and Telegraph Officers would have the backing of the whole community.”

Recent communications to the Press indicate that special pleading and specious arguments are still relied upon by the supporters of the Alliance of Labour, hut we think that matters have now gone beyond the stage of academic discussion, as tilings stand now the only proper -abject, to discuss is to get at the root of things and find a solution. The opinion we have formed from an impartial study of the position is that: —

in) Genuine grievances exist in the

Service. (b) These grievances and the belief by the Post and Telegraph Officers that they were not being praperly dealt with, together with propaganda circulated by certain extremists in their ranks, has caused the members of the Post and Telegraph Association to vote as thev did.

If (he above (a) and (b) correctly sums up the position we say that ilie remedy is simple and'we advocate a. full and impartial enquiry and believe that the services of two or three able and impartial men would be gladly given for such a purpose.