PUBLIC SERVICE APPOINTMENT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21940, 14 November 1936, Page 16

PUBLIC SERVICE APPOINTMENT

DOMINION PRESIDENT MAKES. ENQUIRIES POSITION OF MINISTER’S SON (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAiI.) WELLINGTON, November 13. Mr T. Pound, Dominion president of the New Zealand Public Service Association, specially visited Christchurch to investigate the statements as to alleged uneasiness created amongst Christchurch public servants as a result of personal appointments to the Public Service, and in particular that of Mr S. W. Armstrong, a, son of the Hon. H, T. Armstrong, to the position of inspector of factories. As a result, he make the following statement for publication; “In the first place the only meeting of public servants on Monday was the ordinary monthly committee meeting oi the Canterbury branch of the Public Service Association. Amongst the matters for discussion was this specific appointment (no other appointments were raised), with the result that the following resolution was passed for reference to and consideration by the executive committee of the association in Wellington:—

“ ‘That the executive be written to drawing attention to the appointment of Mr Armstrong to the Department of Labour from outside the service when it appears that ne is not qualified for appointment, and that there are men inside the service who are 'so qualified; and that the executive be asked to draw the attention of the Public Service Commissioners to the fact.’

“Such meetings are not open to the press and the section committee has no authority to make statements for publication, the rules providing that any such statements must emanate froim the executive committee. However, some unauthorised person communicated what was purported to be a resume of the discussion at the meeting. Actually, his remarks went far beyond the resolution quoted, and many comments were unjustified and quite without foundation. The section committee was not in possession of sufficient details to gauge the exact position. “Some weeks ago applications through the public press, stating the required qualifications, were called for inspectors of factories. Mr Armstrong was an applicant through the normal channels, and the result was that the Public Service Commissioners, in whose absolute discretion such appointments lie, selected him as one of the applicants suitable for the position and holding the necessary credentials. The appointment is a temporary one. No public servant is hurt by the appointment. as Mr Armstrong was appointed at the minimum salary for the fifth grade (lowest) Inspector of factories—£27s per annum—which means that he does not supersede or affect the promotion of any permanent employee already in the Public Service. “In the event of Mr Armstrong’s appointment ultimately being made a permanent one, the Public Service Act would automatically provide for the protection of existing public servants, because at that point any public servant has full right qf appeal to the Public Service Appeal Board against non-promotion to that specific position, and the appellant would merely have to show that he was efficient, qualified, and available for the position to receive preference of appointment, even though it was acknowledged that the person originally appointed from outside the Public Service to the specific position was still better qualified. This is a very important provision of the Public Service Act which gives full protection to individual public servants against any possible attempt to make irregular appointments from outside the Public Service.

“I am in a position to state that throughout the Dominion there is full confidence in the present system of non-political control of the Public Service and in the recently appointed Public Service Commissioners. Naturally the association jealously guards the interests of members, and in the case of an appeal against an appointment from outside the Public Service, from the results of 24 years’ working of the Public Service Act, public servants are satisfied that it provides an adequate safeguard against political influence in appointments, which is a matter, not only of importance to members of the Public Service, but to the general public also.” MR A. E. ARMSTRONG REPLIES TO CRITICISM FACTS AND MOTIVES QUESTIONED A sharp reply to the criticisms made by public servants in Christchurch this week of his appointment to a position under the Public Works Department is made in a letter to the Editor of “The Press" by Mr A. E. Armstrong, son of the Minister for Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong). He states that he was elected to the position by the unanimous votes of his workmates, and gives it as his opinion that the criticism was a plot to discredit the Labour Government. “I do wish these persons responsible for the protest would acquaint themselves with facts before rushing into

print with statements that are contrary to fact," states the letter. “In the first place, I am engaged in the' Public Works Department at Hawkeswood. and not Parnassus. Second. I was not appointed to the position of foreman either at Parnassus or Hawkeswood, but when a contract was arranged for the Hawkeswood excavation job, it was necessary on the cooperative contract schedule to elect a head man to negotiate with the department. This was done, and I was elected as the leader, not by the Public Works Department, but by a unanimous vote of my workmates. The earnings of my party will be equally divided and I would have liked very much to have had some of the disgruntled public servants who were responsible for the misleading statements out on the job with me, up to their waists in mud and slush, as we have been for the last few days, and for which we received very little above the basic labourer’s wage. They would probably realise they were not so badly off after all. “I applied for work with the Public Works Department because I was tired of the regular night shift, which I was engaged on with the Tramway Board, My health had not been good, and in the interests of Mrs Armstrong and my young family I decided to look for a way by which to earn a living. “My own opinion is that it is a plot to discredit by unfair accusation the Labour Government, who are endeavouring by all the means in their power to do the fair thing for the people as a whole. “I have been elected to positions of trust by my workmates on every job I have been engaged on since leaving school. While a member of the City Council for six years, I stood solidly to the principles I was elected by, and it is disturbing out here in the country to leant that any individual would strike a blow that, in the sporting term, would be claimed a foul, whether it was intended for the Hon. H. T. Armstrong or A. E. Armstrong.”