LABOUR PARTY PETITION

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 11 June 1932, Page 5

LABOUR PARTY PETITION

CIVIL SERVANTS MAY SIGN

NO FEAR OF DISMISSAL PRIME MINISTER’S ASSURANCE. Public Servants throughout New Zealand will he able to sign the petition at present being; circulated calling upon the Government to repeal certain legislation or resign, without fear of being dismissed under clause 59 of the Finance Act, passed during the emergency session. This assurance was given to a deputation of Labour members which waited on the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. IV. Forbes, at Wellington yesterday, states the “Dominion.”

The petition criticised the legislation recently passed by Parliament, and expresses the opinion that the Government has not the confidence of the majority of electors. Mr. VV. Nash, M.P., or Hutt, said they wished to have a statement from the Prime Minister as to whether Public Servants who signed the petition would be dealt with under the Finance Act, which mad© provision for the dismissal of disloyal officers. He said his personal opinion was that the signing of the petition would not involve any liability under the section. Many of the Public Servants did not wush to sign the petition until they were <erfcatn of their position. INTERFERING IN POLITICS. The Prime Minster : The point in that at is a question as to how far they should interfere in politics. The regulation is that they should not interfere in politics, that is, take un party sides. Mr. Forbes said he interpreted the petition as a Labour manifesto —a Labour Party attack on the Government. If a Public .Servant canvassed the petition throughout the PublicService to get signatures on behalf of a political party against the Government in power, that would be taking part in party politics. Air. R. McKeen, for Wellingf.on South; Suppose a Public Servant signed it; would he be infringing the section ?

Mr. Forbes: That is a matter for bis own judgment. Air. J. Tliom, secretary of the Labour Party: But would you dismiss him if you found his signature hi that petition V PARTY PURPOSES

Mr. Forbes: No, very definitely no. ff he is foolish enough to believe that a petition of this description circulated for political party purposes can have any bearing whatever on the Government or the Parliament of the country, well, I don’t think an act, of that kind will involve a breach of the Statute. Air. Forbes asked who was to verify the signatures, and whether that would be done by a justice of tho peace. Mr. Nash said the preamble to the petition set out that the petitioner was qualified to vote in New Zealand. Mr. Forbes said that if any invalid signatures were found on the petition, the whole petition would bo invalid. Mr Nash asked whether tli© Prime Minister would sav the petition was illegal if 24 signatures out of 10.C00 were found to be informal. Mr. Fortes: It would not bo' whn+ it purported to be, and _we could not accept it as being what it w?„s stated to be.