P. & T. ALLIANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 June 1922, Page 4

P. & T. ALLIANCE.

INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT. A COUNTER PETITION By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A petition praying the Government to take action to prohibit the alliance with any body outside the p-blic service of New Zealand was circulated throughout the post and telegraph offices of the Dominion to-day. Mr. Combs, secretary of the P. and T. Association, said he believed the petition was being circulated with the knowledge, and probably with the approval of the department. At any rate, certain officers in the Wellington office were detached from their ordinary duties to-day to take the petition round to members of both the inside and outdoor staffs. From what he had heard he judged a feeling was abroad that officers refusing to sign the petition would become marked men. Following is a copy of the petition: “To the Speaker of the House of Representatives: The officers of the Post and Telegraph Department of New Zealand humbly showeth that whereas the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association decided on April 4, 1922, by a ballot amongst its officers that the association should affiliate with the Alliance of Labour, and whereas the decision to affiliate does not represent the opinion of the majority of the employees of the Post and Telegraph Department, your petitioners, employees of the Post and Telegraph Department, humbly pray that the Government will take action to prohibit such «n alliance with any body outside the public service of New Zealand.” A slip is attached to each copy of the petition showing certain statistics in connection with the staff of the Department and the voting in the recent ballot is given. It shows the total staff (permanent and casual) to be 8848 and those who voted for the alliance totalled 4379, while those who voted against the allfance and did not vote totalled 4469.