ANSWER TO CRITICS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 110, 11 May 1932, Page 6

ANSWER TO CRITICS

CIVIL SERVANTS AND

POLITICS

STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF

FINANCE

Speaking oii the third reading of the Finance Bill in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, the Minister of Finance (flio Hon. Bownie Stewart) said:—"lt £as,been stated that this clause is designed to deprive Civil servants of their rights, and' that such legislation is in itself an insult to: tho Civil servants-of the Dominion. The answer to that complaint is that the vast majority of the Civil servants are quite indifferent to .the legislation, because they know it has no application to them at all., They are, people who do their daily work honestly and efficiently, and are quite undisturbed when such laws are passed to '< cope with a very fe\* misguided people who might imperil,''''or'seek to imperil the good name of the. Service. Moreover, if it; is an insult to the.Public Service to pass such a law as this,.it is equally an' insult;to the whole community to pass laws prohibiting" theft or murd<J. But, of course, the ordinary', citizen is not concerned, because hW knows that these last-mentioned -, laws' have .no \ application to him; and, similarly, no. Public servant:is disturbed byAlaws.which he knows cannot* possibly apply to" him, and he. carries on his daily; work without ,any. regard :to :. such .legislation. Members of the; Public Service know well enough what is the object of. the legislation,' and I suppose- that a large majority.,of them regard: it .as. being passed-to. maintain the. higt. reputation and'great traditions; of .the Service. It: is, therefore, in."; my ; view quite unfounded, and fallacious to' suggest that the legislation is aimed at the Public Service in the way the Opposition has; suggested. That is the first point I wish to make, and I want to re-emphasise it by dealing for a few moments with a point raised by the honourable, member for, Napier, who asked me whether I really /thought it was fair to prohibit Public Servants from taking part in, politics." Mr. Barnard; " Whettier. they will be prohibited from joining a political party." . ~" -

Hon. Mr. Downie Stewart: "They always have been. That has been the recognised position in the- Service." Mr. H. E. Holland: "How did.it come about that they were- allowed to 30m the Reform Party, ana act even on committees!"

Hon. Mr. Downic Stewart: "They should not have been allowed. I have no knowledge of such cases.' They were quite wrong; and Labour is just aa much interested in seeing that thia foundation principle of the Public Service 13 maintained, because it has always bqen regarded as 3 cardinal virtue that the Service is ttm from party pohtics, and renders afelutely loyal service to any party in power. It is the proud claim of the Service that members of the Service make nS ™T im,! n? tion between political parties, and, whatever policy is laid dom£ they administer at in such a way that no political executive can form an opinion "I? what might be the political Views of the members of the Service "-