RELIGION AND POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1920, Page 5

RELIGION AND POLITICS.

ROMAN CATHOLICS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE. THE CENSUS OP 1911. In the letter written by the Rev. Howard Elliott, which we published, the writer referred to a census taken in 1911, which he asserted showed that Sir Joseph Ward had stuffed the Civil Service with Roman Catholics. He also asserted that nearly 48 per cent, of the Civil Service to-day are Roman Catholics. The Auckland Star challenged both statements, and asked Mr. Elliott to produce his authority for making them. Other papers did the same. The Lyttelton Times contains the following authoritative statement by Mr Robertson, Public Service Commissioner, proving that so far from Roman Catholics being in excess in the principal departments directly controlled by Sir Joseph Ward, they were below the percentage which the denomination would be entitled to on a population basis.

"The charge against Sir Joseph Ward (says the Lyttelton Times) that when in office he stuffed the Civil Service with co-religionists is not quite as new as it is false. Political opponents circulated the allegation during the election campaign of 1911, which Sir Joseph Ward has said was the first occasion when he found the weapon of sectarianism used against him in the Awarua electorate. To disprove the charge, Sir Joseph made a test of the Post and Telegraph Department of which he had had the control for nearly twenty years. Here was a branch of the service where Sir Joseph had had more opportunities than in any other if he had wished to use them improperly. He asked the head of the department. Mr. D. Robertson, now Public Service Commissioner, to ascertain and report upon the proportion of Roman Catholic-: in the Post and Telegraph Department. Mr. Robertson's reply appears in Hansard, volume 157, page 0!). It states that the permanent staff numbered 4800, and included 742 Roman Catholics! The proportion of Roman Catholics of 15 years of age and over in the service was l/i.70 per cent., while the proportion of Roman Catholics to the whole population of 15 years nnd over was 10.10 per cent. Among telegraph message-boys, under 1.1 years of age the proportion of Roman Catholics wa» 8.00 | JW OMlt,"