TICKETS IN "TATTs."

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15607, 3 June 1916, Page 8

TICKETS IN "TATTs."

A PUBLIC SERVICE INCIDENT. ■ ♦ THE COMMISSIONER'S RAID. ■ | (special to "im: rßiiss.") '*' i WELLINGTON, June 2. . h Tickets in Tattersall's sweeps formed j the subject of brisk speeches ,in tho y 5 House of Representatives to-day. Ro- ; cently in Wellington the Assistant Pub- . ! lie "Service Commissioner, "on informs- ' tion received," raided a certain office, and commandeered a cashbox and booic which showed that one of the clerks was doing quite a large business (in 'Jo-' ~ vernment time) with his colleagues. Mr T. M. Wilford this afternoon venti- , lated the matter in the House, and en- i deavoured to throw ridicule upon too i Commissioner for iiis action. "In jay opinion," he said, "no more despic- j able action has been known tor a kmji j time than that of Mr A. D. Thomsoa. i the Assistant Public Service. Commits- | sioner, in entering into tho private, affairs of tho officers of a department, > jetting a ladder, climbing to the top of a safe, and finding out tnas there . were a number of men paying in 6a ->1 i a shilling a week to get a ticket in lat- I tersall'y. It has brought him into abso- r lute contempt, and wnen you see tho 'Public Service Journal' writing a leal- . ing article on what it calls 'a sainplo m .... discretion,' I think the matter is vory , well and fairly put." The Hon. G. W. Rusaell gave Mr Wilford very iittle sympathy. "If, ' : j he said, "the fact had been known M ; J me that an officer of the GoverfltneirT i was acting as agent for TattersaH'f' sweeps, that he was keeping a. book during his hours of duty and recoil ■ _ ing subscriptions not only from office. - * of the Department, but soliciting nub- ;; < scriptions from message - boys, then, i ; whatever steps the Public Service Com-"'' missioner took to deal with a matterlike that, I should have supported. 1 '! ' (Hear, hear.) i> Mr Isitt said: I have heard that cno of the clerks was very much by what was being done in busineMjj hours by Government employees. made no statement to the Commissioner"!;* " but retailed what was going on. Hu statement was reported to one of tM. Commissioners. The Commissioner ing, I suppose, upon his idea of wn»tv was right and proper, made a sudden, • descent upon that office, and straight to the place where this box was innocently lying—l want W . know how a cashbox would guiltily h®rs'' (laughter)—on top of the safe. a virtuous cashbox it was! (Laughter.), This cashbox contained a book and 0* . formation that this clerk was acting ijj" Government time as agent for "Tatt s. What I cannot understand is that there is all this righteous indignation about this wicked young man who made tbi* statement to the Commissioner, aw; the Commissioner who did this tiling--not a word of indignation about thi* A clerk receiving Government pay, and his manner of spending his time that "i* should be spending in the interests or the people of this country. Mr Wilford: \V C have no evidence of that. , Mr Isitt: What about the in nolens i hook? (Laughter.) I s-übmit that >a ; circumstantial evidence. The incident then dosed.