POLITICAL ACTION

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 78, 2 April 1931, Page 8

POLITICAL ACTION

P. AND T. OFFICERS' STATEMENTS

(To the Editor.) Sir,—Your sub-editorial 5n last night's issuo of. "Tho Evening Post" proffers advice to our association whieli is worthless because of the inaccuracy of your stated basic information, upon which you set out to criticiso the alleged actions and sayings of executive officials oil our organisation. Whether your j"special service" is at fault in not supplying you with a full report of what our officials did say to the meeting at Palmerston North on Saturday evening last, or whether you have separated sentences from their context to suit your particular line of attack, I am not in a position to know; but to all who were actually present and listened to the addresses it will be obvious that you have treated our president most unfairly. ■ _ _ In outlining the position of the lower-paid married members of the Service, who are in a class for which the maximum salary has been' £240 per annum, the president said that the proposed 10 per cent, reduction of £24 would reduce these men to less than £4 per week—after deductions for superannuation —with which to meet their domestic budgets. Seeing that it had taken an average of ten years' service for men to attain £240 per annum, and many hundreds of them had over 20 years' service, they had a right to expect that their incomes, upon which they had based home commitments and family expenses, should have greater stability than obtains under past and present ""cuts," which reduced them below the basic wage recognised for casual and unskilled workers. , Even on past earnings, many of these men have been unable to meet sickness and other contingencies, and balance their domestic budgets. Therefore, said the president, where such men were unduly harassed and had no power to decide their earnings, they need not have many scruples about meeting obligations entered into on previous earnings. The audience of Service members would appreciate what yourself and your readers may not when the term "unduly harassed" was used, but it will help your understanding to learn that many landlords and traders communicate the'debts of Service employees to the Administration, in hopes of expediting payments to avoid publicity and action in the Law Courts. If you will consider, too, that Public servants are prohibited by regulations from entering into other part-time employment, to supplement their incomes, you will understand bettor the plight they are in where debts and reduced salaries have to bo faced. ' The remainder of your article. was based on a charge of attempting to make the Service political, but had you in your previous issue published in full the resolution passed in Palmerstou North over the week-end, instead of abbreviating it, too, to cloud the issue, then it would be clear that the aim of the association is to remove the determination of Service conditions from the political arena altogether. Knowing that your "Special Service" was conveyed by letter, and that the expense of telegraphing did not restrict its scope, I am at a loss to know why such an authoritative and definite pronouncement was not made the basis of your criticism. In attaching a full copy of that resolution hereto, I hope you will do our organisation the justice of now publishing it. In conclusion, I would also like to briefly comment on the ridiculous report that our association ha 4 built up funds to the, extent of £17,000 to put into the political fight. Again, why such distortion, and why, may I ask, was no reference made to the announcement that our funds had contributed an amount to the relief of earthquake sufferers, which I have not seen aur- j passed by any other donation in the Dominion?—-I am, etc., J. H. M'KENZIE, General Secretary. Ist April. [The general secretary's allegations of inaccuracy and unfair treatment are entirely without foundation. A full report in the "Manawatu Standard" of the president's speech proves the accuracy of the extracts which we quoted frotn our special report. On the subject of obligations the president (in the "Standard" report) stated:— ' My advice to. low-salaried men who havo incurred obligations because they thought conditions were fixed and settled is to get out if they can get out. Justice and equity have not been given consideration in this legislation. I do not think our. married men are called upon to have too many scruples in meeting their obligations. Just don't worry. I say that as a considered statement.. This statement, even when modified in the secretary's paraphrase by the insertion of qualifying words and statements which do not appear in either newspaper report, fully justifies the request for an explanation which has' not yet been given. When tho president advisod that married men "need not have many scruples about meeting obligations entered into on previous earnings" did he advise acceptance of the policy of the Alliance of Labour conference of refusing to pay 15 per cent, of rent or interest and 10 per cent, of bills? The general secretary does not deny tho accuracy of tho references on which wo based our condemnation of the attempt to make the Service political. Our comment was based on the speeches and not on the executive resolution (which we published in full last night), though that resolution also advises use of the political machine and the lines of that use are sufficiently indicated, by the praise bestowed on the Labour Party and tho condemnation of Eeform and United. With reference to what the secretary, terms the "ridiculous report and "distortion" concerning the association's £17,000 fund we need only quote from the "Standard" report of tho president's speech:— This association has been criticised in the past for accumulating its funds and not expending them on bonefit schemes, but your leaders always had in mind the fact that it might be necessary to expend part of or the whole amount in securing redress from injustice, and.this is the time which will prove the benefit of that policy. With this money, we will be able to carry out an intensive organised campaign, and that we intend to do before next December. We nave £17,000 in assets, and the association will prove itself in this case to bo the leader of the Public Service organisation. We gladly give publicity now, if it has not been given before, to the association's support of the earthquake fund. Wo are pleased to give credit for such gonerosity,. and for the efficient service of Post and Telegraph officers. It is_ because we fear the effects on efficient service of political action (leading inevitably to political patronage) that wo havo criticised hasty proposals'which we fool sure the majority of Public servants will recogniso as damaging to the, service, as a whole.—Kd/|

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