P. AND T. OFFICERS.

Grey River Argus, 13 October 1922, Page 4

P. AND T. OFFICERS.

THE QUESTION OF AFFILIATION. During tbo past week the proposal oi the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association to affiliate with the Alliance of Labour was before the House of Representatives. Two petitions had been received on the subject. The first petition, came from the association, and asked that the Postmaster-General should state his legal authority for refusing to permit the affiliation. The

second petition presented the views of officers who wished the Government to continue its refusal. The Public Petitions Committee that had considered the petitions recommended that they both should bo referred to the Government for consideration.

, The Leader of the Labour Party (Mr H. E. Holland) moved that the reports should be referred back to the committee for further consideration. He was surprised, he said, that the committee had not recommended the petition of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association for favourable consideration. He read the petition, which claimed that the members of the association had decided in favour of affiliation after thorough consideration, and that they were entitled to put their decision into effect. Sixty-nine per cent, of the members had favoured affiliation. The 2rst protest against this decision had come from the Welfare League, which consisted of “a few wealthy men, one or two lawyers, and two or three paid agitators.” Leading counsed had held that the Alliance of Labour was a lawful association. The association had asked the Post-master-General to state his authority for imposing this embargo, and the Minister had been unwilling or unable to make any reply. Mr Holland claimed that the industrial clauses of the Treaty of Versailles had been violated when the New Zealand Government refused to allow a group of its employees to affiliate with a lawfully constituted body, the Alliance of Labour. The Government had gono outside the law in placing an embargo on the affiliation. The Postmaster-Gen-eral had said in evidence before the committee that the association had a right to affiliate, and had asked why the members did not proceed. When asked to promise that in the event of affiliation no officer would be dismissed until the legality of the affair had been tested before the courts, the Post-master-General had replied that he would not give such an undertaking or permit it to be given. Mr Holland suggested that the counter-petition had been given official sanction, and that senior officers had required junior of ficers to sign it. As tho debate proceeded his party would show that methods had been used to compel officers to sign tho petition against aftiliation. He himself had advised juniors to sign it because they were in danger of losing their employment if they did not. He read reports alleging “a process of subtle intimidation” in connection witln the circulation and signing of tho smaller petition.