TEACHERS AND POLITICS

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21510, 27 June 1935, Page 10

TEACHERS AND POLITICS

- #— Position of Mr H. McCombs PUBLIC UTTERANCES RESTRICTED The candidature of Mr T, H. McCombs for the Lyttelton seat and the leave of absence he has been granted from teaching to* enable him to contest the by-election have raised some doubt as to whether teachers are entitled to take an active part in politics and whether they are subject to the same restrictions in this respect as other public servants. Under the public service regulations, issued by the Public Service Commissioner, civil servants may take "no active part fin politics," other than by recording their vote, and under the Finance Act of 1032 teachers may be dismisssed if they say anything in public which seeks to bring the Government into disrepute. It has been suggested that before Mr McCombs, who is a member of the staff of the Richard Seddon Memorial Technical College, Auckland, could take part in a political campaign, as in the present case, he should have been obliged to icsign his position as a teacher, but apparently the teacliing profession, regarded generally as a branch of the public service, is exempted from regulations governing the employees of other departments of state. The Director of Technical Education (Mr W. S. La Trobe, to whom the question was referred yesterday, said that Mr McCombs's leave of absence was purely a matter for his school board, and that the Department of Education had no right to refuse leave ir. such a case. Mr McCombs had been to Wellington to confer with. Mr La Trobe, but departmental officers with whom Mr La Trobe# had discussed the position agreed with him that no baiiiei could be placed in a teacher's way it he desired to stand for Parliament. His school board could consent or refuse to grant him leave of absence without pay, and with the board the matter ended. The teacher was regarded as an employee of the board and not of the department. A Previous Case The same view was held by Mr L. E. Rowley, secretary of the Canterbury Education Board. He said that there was nothing to prevent a teacher or any other employee of an education board standing for Parliament, provided he applied to his board for leave of absence. The board could grant leave without pav. but if the candidate were returned he would be expected to resign his position as a teacher. The education board was his direct employing authority. Mr Rowley referred to the case of Mr If. C. Lane, a former secretary of Ihe Canterbury board, who had stood for Parliament in the Christchurch South electorate against Mr lv J. Howard. Mr Lane had not resigned his position, but he had secured leave to conduct his campaign. Apparently, then, the rejjulalions controlling the political activities of civil servants do not restrict the activities of teachers. The importance with which the civil service regulations are regarded was revealed in Christchurch during the last Lyttelton Ivy-election. A member of the staff of the Public Trust Office attended a political meeting which was addressed by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Conies, and during the meeting addressed several pertinent ouestions to the Minister. Later there was an official enquiry and the offender was reprimanded for what amounted to a breach of the regulations. Restriction by Act If these regulations do not apply in the ease of Mr McCombs, however, there are other restrictions which must influence his activities during the campaign. Clause 59 fh the Finance Act of 1932, a clause which has already stimulated much controversy, gives the Government special power to terminate the employment of the officers of certain public services. The relevant clause empowers the appointing authority, with the concurrence of the Governor-General in Council, to terminate the employment of anyone in the education service who "by public statements, or statements intended for publication in New Zealand or elsewhere, lias sought to bring the Government of New Zealand info disrepute." For a Labour party candidate that restriction might appear to offer difficulties.