THE PUBLIC SERVICE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21504, 8 September 1944, Page 4

THE PUBLIC SERVICE

QUESTION OF LOYALTY THE 1935 COMPARISON (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 8. “The member for Masterton spoke of the disloyalty of the Public Service to-day as compared with 1935, said the Minister of Finance, the Hon- W. Nash, in the House of Representatives last night when replying in the Budget debate. '

Mr. G. I-I. Mackley: I never used the term in general.

The Minister said that, if the members of the service were not pure and loyal, the inference was that they were impure and disloyal. Mr, Mackley: I said a section of them, , The Minister said he knew ot public servants who were opposed to tne philosophy of the Government and he knew of others with different view's, but he knew of no disloyal section and he knew of no statement that was more justifiably resented than the one lie was referring to., , Mr. Mackley: I did not say disloyal. The Minister said it was besmirching one of the best Civil Services New Zealand had ever had or any country could have. It was loyally to the Government he was thinking of. Tie was sure that 999 out of every 1000 of New Zealand’s public servants would do all they could for and be quite "pure and loyal" to the Ministers. , , When the Minister of Finance had completed his reply to the Budget debate Mr Mackley rose to a point of order. He said the Minister, in his speech.. had referred to him, Mr. Mackley. as having used the term “disloyal” in respect to (he Public Service., "I deny that.” he added. He then referred to his Hansard notes to show that he was making a comparison of the Public Service to-day. compared with prior to 1935.