MINISTERS’ SONS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 283, 13 November 1936, Page 5

MINISTERS’ SONS

Erroneous and Unauthorised Statements CASE INVESTIGATED (Bv Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 13. A visit was paid to Christchurch today by Mr. T. Pound, Dominion president of th® New Zealand Public Service Association, to investigate statements as to alleged uneasiness created among Christchurch servants as a result of personal appointments to the Public Service and in particular that of Mr. S. W. Armstrong to the position of Inspector of Factories. ' , In a statement telephoned to Wellington, Mr. Pound said that the only meeting of Public Servants on Monday, 9th. inst., was the ordinary monthly meeting of th© Canterbury branch, and among matters which came up for discussion was this specific appointment, no other appointments being raised. A resolution wag passed for reference to the executive committee of the association in Wellington. Such meetings are not open to the Press and the section committee of the association had no authority to make statements for publication. Some unauthorised person communicated what purported to be a resume of the discussion, but actually, his remarks went far beyond the resolution which had been passed. Mr. Pound states that the section committee was not in possession of sufficient details to gauge the exact position. Applications were invited through the public Press and Mr. Armstrong was an applicant through normal chanels. The result was that' the Publjo Service Coffimissioners, in whose absolute discretion such appointments lay, selected him as one of the applicants suitable for the position and holding the necessary credentials. The appointment is a temporary one and Mr. Armstrong does not supersede or affect the promotion of any permanent employee already in the Public Service. If the appointment were ultimately made a permanent one the Public Service Act would automatically provide fdr the protection existing for Public Servants. Erroneous and misleading statements had been published through unauthorised channels, and as a result a controversial storm had been raised which was not justified on the facts. From the results of 24 years working of the Public Service Act the Public Servants were satisfied that it provided adequate safeguard against political influence in appointments,.