SOURCES OF DISORDER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21160, 18 April 1932, Page 12

SOURCES OF DISORDER.

Sir, —Your editorial in Saturday's issu*. of the Herald expresses your opinion that the deplorable outbreak of lawlessness in the city on Thursday evening last, and the shameful damage and looting of private property, could be attributed to evil propaganda; S'uid you proceeded from generalities to a specific charge against the Post and Telegraph Employees' Association of being partly blameworthy, firstly for organising " the public demonstration, and, secondly, "because of their printed propaganda." Whilst there can be no difference of opinion among all decent minded people about the shocking developments, and whilst this; is no time for such people to fan the flames of resentment and bitterness, I cannot allow your misrepresentation of the motives or deeds of my association to pass -without, condemnation and coi -ection. It is necessary for me to reiterate and emphasise the declaration of "citizens first and public servants incidentally," made by tha membership of my association when recording their strong objection.to the Government's economy measures in the prepared statement which sel; out various constructive alternatives to wage reductions and the incidence of increased taxation. The formation of our recent procession to precede the meeting in the Town Hall was in keeping with procedure that circumstances of suppression have, of late years, forced on many organised sections of the community seeking to express opinions on national questions. The actions of my association, which yoa now condemn in the light of after events, were no more responsible for the deplorable sequel than the congregation ol » crowd to watch a fire or street accident would have been. You have sought' a scape-goat to screen the fundamental causes, and when it is remembered that the civil authorities granted a permit for the demonstration, and the police had acquiesced in the arrangements and stated where the promoters' and their own responsibilities commenced and ended, the injustice of your attack upon the Post and Telegraph employees must be apparent. You say: "They have peculiarly good and privileged opportunity of discussing and presenting any grievance. Why engage the Town Hall . • '. ' hold a public meeting and precede it by a public procession, if they did not mean to excite public opinion at a critical time?" The answer is simple enough.' As I told that meeting in the Town HaJi, our opportunities of presenting a grievance were "peculiar" indeed, but ce.tainly not "good and privileged ; we, as an association representing thousands of the Government's employees, had made a request to our employer { ® Government) for the purposes of discussing a grievance" and presenting con structive proposals, and for ten dajs we had waited in vain. llien when * sought the aid of newspapers to puousn ■our case for the information of tee public (also our employers) you demandea £26 for the space. Good and privilege opportunities, forsooth! The secon phase of your charge, couched in g en ®[ al " ties about "the printed propaganda my association, is beneath contempt. j not come out into the open and Sp e £ c ally quote your grounds for sucn charge ? My executive, and myselt their servant, prepared to fend and justify any official oral sa e ment or written matter you can produce. Finally, as I assured the Prime Minister by telegram, while our membership S r ® a -■ deplores the lawless development fro our Auckland meeting, and sympatn" with business people and others who the innocent victims of wanton ° £S 7 u j"j tion and looting, we refuse to be ® blameworthy—and .we believe the S e ine unemployed to bo also blameless--the outbreak. J- H. McKej® General Secretary. . ■ P. and T. Employees' Association.fit is evident from the above that th® secretary of the Post and Telegraph ciation does not agree with the points made in the article referre * viz., the undesirability of public "®. strations by civil servants at anV ' and the foily of such demonstrations this particular time, 'lhe article exo ated the association from any corop . in the sequel to the procession. - McKenzio suggests some ,'' c ' rc^ lS of suppression" have led to such P . sions and says that when the assoc sought to publish its case for the m at ion of the public we d pman f , nvuidj the space. There was no such ae 1 The association a long statement; i Wellington, of which an adequa niary was telegraphed by tlio Press - _ ciation and published. Later, repi atives of the Post and Telegraph M ciation asked for publication of tJ document, which was largely an es , politics and economics. '1 liey «®£® * 9 offered a column to put forward but they demanded complete P u " , 4 which was declined on the groun 1 ose , column was ample for their p . . They subsequently asked for ad rates, which were quoted to them same rate as to any other j or o. have no desire to discuss the f 1 "", sJ> . paganda. It can be found jori» ciation's magazine, and cerned can judge it on its ments.— * r II ERA LB.]