CIVIL SERVANTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1509, 3 August 1912, Page 6

CIVIL SERVANTS.

POLITICAL RIGHTS. THE RAILWAY APPEAL VETO. One of tho matters discussed in the Houffl. of Beprasentatives yesterday afternoon aroso out of questions relating to tho restoration of full civil and political rights to. civil servants, and to the Ministerial veto on decisions of the Bailway Appeal Board. The replies of the Prime Minister and of the Minister for Bailways to tho questions previously submitted on theso points were that the whole question of the status of r.ivil servants' and railway servants was under consideration, and that the flovernmcnt would submit proposals later. Mr. T. M. WJLTORP (Hutt). strongly urged that Slate employees should bo given what were their absoluk' rightslights with which they could be safely trusted. Ho believed that the present

Government would do it, and he was satisfied with tho Minister's reply under tho circumstances. Mr. D. BUICTC (Pnlmerston) supported tho member for Butt. Ho had known of enses of railway servants who did toko part in political struggles, and he had observed that those who supported the then Opposition had to .suffer for it, and those who supported tho Government flourished. An Unjust Law, Mr. W. A. VKITCH (Wanganni)' cited his own case. Before he had como out to contest tho Wangnmii seat he had informed the Minister of his intention to do so. The Minister had replied that he must first .resign from tho railway service. He refused to give way to an unjust law, and he went to Wangamii, addressed many public meetings, ,aud yet ho was not dismissed. Tho Minister dared not-put such aa unjust law into operation. . Meantime, he had had to resign, because, if elected whilo still a railway.servant, he could not haw taken his seat. In tho rule was a grave danger, with the State activities spreading, that the increasing numbcr v of men, becoming a large and larger percentage of the population, in the. service of the State should be practically, disfranchised. There was a complaint that Government servants might divulge confidential matters, but they could still bo dealt with in other ways for misdemeanours of this sort.

.Mr. J. CRAIGIE (Timaru) endorsed all that had been said by Mr. Ve.itch. Railway Appeal Board. Mr. W. H. D. BELL (Wellington Suburbs) said he hoped the Minister would see his way to make the decisions of the Railway Appeal Board final. The result of the Minister's veto was in effect to allow tho snporior officers to review a.n appeal against their own previous decisions. Tho present position of the Railway Appeal Board was farcical. He declared also that many of the railway regulations wers ultra vires, and many were iniquitous. ' These facts were known' to .railway servants, and this was a frequent cause of disquiet. . He hoped tho'Railway. Department would submit their regulations to the Crown Law Office. He was.in hearty accord with all that Mr. Veitch had said.

Mr. G. WITTY (Riccarton) hoped the Government would consider tho question in a fair and impartial manner. If they did, they must remove all the disabilities of Civil Servants.

Mr. G. V. PEARCE (Patea) thought it was quite, absurd to suggest that Civil Servants should not be allowed to belong to local bodies if it did not interfere with their duties. But if, for instance, the employees of a station congregated at a street corner a.nd attacked the station-master a wrong position would .be . created, for tho station-master had no right to dismiss the men. This would very quickly result in chnqs. Ho would like to see "full rights given to all civil servants, except in respect of their own Departments.

Mr. C. K. WILSON (Taumarunui) said it was quite time that the rights of civil servants should bo restored to them. If the Government of. tho day did nothing moro than that they would have done a good work. Ho thought also that the finding of the Appeal Beard should be final. If the Minister was to review the decision, why not do away with the board, and let the Minister deal with cases direct X

Mr. L. M. ISITT (Christchurch Korth) disagreed with the supposition of Mr. Pearco that if Tights were given to civil servants they would not uso them with discretion. Ho heartily agreed that the finding of tho Railway Appeal Board should never be nullified by the officer against whose decision tho appeal was made, for tliis was what the Ministerial veto amounted to. Civil Servants and Parliament. Mr. G.W. RUSSELL (Avon) said that there was not in fact any serious difficulties in the way of civil servants entering local politics, but'regulations must be carefully drawn in relation to Parliament. If responsible civil servants were to be allowed to withdraw from their positions temporarily to stand for Parliament, il would bring about serious disorganisation of the Civil Sen-ice. Mr. E. P. LEE (Oamaru) did not believe that tho contentions of Mr. Russell were Bound, and he supported tho proposal that civil servants ought to have full civil and nolitical rights. Tho Hon. W. H. HERRIES (Minister for Railways) said that he had not been loug enough in charge of the Railway Department to say, whethcr"tho veto should be abolished or not. At first*blush it appeared to bo inequitable, but lie could conceive cases in which the veto could l-o, rightly exercised. If'it were nbolished the position of Minister for Railways would be a much more comfortable one to hold, for most of the difficult questions ho wos called upon to determine had.to do with railway appeals. A new Railway Act would bo submitted to the House tins session. DEPUTY GOVERNORS. THEIR POWERS DEFINED. Tho Hon. A. L. HERDMAN (Minister for Justice) moved the second reading of the Deputy Governors' Powers Bill. Tho object of the Bill, he said, was to define exactly the powers of a deputy Governor, and the Bill was being introduced by recommendation of the Colonial Office. Tho Governor was appointed by letters patent. He had two sets of powers—one exercised under the letters patent, and one under statutes passed by Parliament. Recently a deputy-Governor was appointed in South Australia, and the gentleman appointed performed cerl'ain functions. After he had performed thcin'-a. Court of Justice decided that several, of the functions which this deputy Governor had performed under statutes were illegal. Tho object of tho Bill was to prevent anything of the sort occurring again, and to legalise the past acts of the two deputy Governors who had acted in New Zealand.

Mr. T. M. TVILFOED (Hutt) said he looked with suspicion on all Bills which were, to hayo a retrospective effect, and he\would like more information before voting for the second reading of the Bill. AVould the Hon. tho.Minister for .Tustico say what acts of the deputy Governors it was now proposed to legalise? The Hon. A. L. HKEDMAN, in rcplv, stated again that the power.; which it had becomo necessary to define were- those exercised under Acts of Parliament.

Tho second reading was carried on tho voices.