COUNCIL EMPLOYEES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 227, 24 August 1938, Page 10

COUNCIL EMPLOYEES.

ACTING ON DEPUTATIONS. CONFLICT WITH POLICY. ‘Wfiat has happened to cause thi* recommendation to be brought down ? It is most unusual, and establishes a precedent regarding the freedom of the lndmdual, whether he is working for the council or not.” Thus commented •"J 1 V- Hodgens, M.P., at the meeting ot the Palmerston North City Council when the lighting committee made a recommendation, that before any member of the council s stall accepted an invitation to act on any deputation or other similar matter the permission of the' respective committee must first be obtained. Or Hodgens maintained that the adoption of such a resolution by- the council would establish a precedent in nob allowing freedom for .its employees to take a lively interest in matters other than, say, political ones. Unless something outstanding had swayed the committee in reaching its decision' one should, not. lose his libertv, the speaker presumed, because.he was an employee of the council.

.. T ennen t (chairman of. the lighting committee) explained that the matter had arisen through a member ot the council’s staff going to Wellington as a member of a deputation in connection with electrical goods and while there might be a certain amount" of benefit obtained, it must be realised that there was a danger, under such circumstances, of a 6taff member being ■* regarded as representing the City ' Council. No councillor, said the speaker, would oppose a staff member going on a deputation provided ho first obtained its consent. 11'-' T he Mayor (Mr A. E/ Hansford)said lie had been confronted bv certain ratepayers who had asked him why a member of its staff was permit- + bn to l° t0 i v^ eliln K t ? n oii a deputat orfi asking that restrictions be placed on the sale of electrical goods. .He had replied that he knew nothing about it and had been informed that that "aggravated the position. Thej councul should know when a member-of its staff was joining a deputation! no t impose restrictions, but where the re-, ' presentations being made were likely, to conflict with the interests of the ratepayers, then the matter would have to be given some consideration I was as innocent as could be that ■t had reference to that matter/’ said Civ Hodgens, “but I do, nevertheless think that the recommendation is going too far. The council’s interests are wide, and cover many phases of local activity. Every person working for the council, would have his tongue tied and would not be able to associate with or make representations on of any society to which he Gdongs lt °s definitely interfering with theTreedom of persons working f or the They will certainly; be muzzled from WithThTu" 1 ? '\ n-V organisation”•11 ’Huthe object of meeting any possible objection on this ground Hie yords which may possiblv affect the serteTafter the w« e in- . serted aftei those similar matter,” in o Cr'W m B T* 10 "’ ? n the sl >gg<*tio« wL C theTad B opSL nent " and