LOYALTY AFFIRMATION

Evening Star, Issue 24003, 30 September 1941, Page 3

LOYALTY AFFIRMATION

R.S.A. ON PUBLIC SERVANTS FURTHER REPRESENTATIONS TO MINISTER (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 29. A statement issued to-night by the Dominion Executive Committee of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association reviews the association’s representations to the Attorney-General (Hon. H. G. R. Mason) in regard to the employment in the Public Service of persons who have refused to affirm loyalty to the Crown. In May last the Dominion Council of the association passed a resolution urging that such persons should be immediately dismissed. A copy of the resolution was forwarded to the Attor-ney-General, who was also later interviewed by representatives of the association. The Attorney-General then agreed that the question was one of Government policy, but he stated that the Public Service Commissioner was carrying out that policy. In subsequent correspondence the Executive Committee pointed out that the commissioner did not control all the State departments, and asked the Attorney-General to take steps to ensure that all employees of he specific departments mentioned should conform with the text of the resolution. Answering this, the Attorney-General said that if particulars of any employee in respect of whom the question could properly bo raised were forwarded to the Minister or the authority employing him, the association’s representations respecting that employee would have attention.

The statement issued to-night says that the Dominion Executive has now written to the Minister, claiming that his letter was not a fair and reasonable reply, that it was wholly unreasonable to ask the association to supply such particulars, and, finally, inquiring whether the Attorney-General approves the principle contained in the association’s original resolution. “If so, this association expects to see this principle enforced,” the letter states.