Truth THE TERRIBLE TRIUMVIRATE

NZ Truth, Issue 571, 27 May 1916, Page 4

Truth

THE TERRIBLE TRIUMVIRATE

"HE PEOPLE'S PAPER

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POINTS PERTAINING TO A PATENT

A matter oC very considerable Interest, so far as the rights and privileged 'of public servants. ...are concerned, had a little ray of light let m upon it a month or so ago. Strange -to say, although all sorts oi: grievances and complaints were aired by members m the debate on the Address-in-reply, not one, moinber seems to have heard oi the ease m question, or, having j heard of it, failed to recognise its potentialities m the matter of political attack. In fact, the debate, curiously enough, provided very little criticism adverse to the Public Service Commissioners. There were one or two pin-pricks, but these had so little force as j scarcely to scratch the skin. This is all the more surprising seeing that the President of the Post and Telegraph Officers' Association, Mr. A. G. Camp, last week roundly denounced the Act under which these gentlemen were appointed, and left its administration almost without a name. He pointed out that at the Post and Telegraph Oflicoro' Conference, which met m Wellington the other day, eightyfive per cent, of the remits considered dealt with details of the Act, and grievances and anomalies which had arisen out of iU administration. He accused the. Commissioners o£ over-riding the various sections of the Act which dealt with the classification of officers, and declared that certain officers had been raised to classes and put at tho minimum, to which

NEW ZEALAND HEAD OFFICE— Wellington; Menncrs-street PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES— Auckland: 9 Victoria-street East ' Chrlstcliurclr. 102 Glouceiter-street Dunedln: Communication* Box 691, P.O.

they were not entitled, and this action the Association intended to fight out m the court. It looks as if the Radical section of the House, m hurtling the waves of its ; wrath against the walls of the Defence Department, was wasting much valuable energy that might have been used to good purpose if it had been directed into another ; channel — say, a fearless exposure 'of the weird and wonderful ways of the Public Service Commission* ors. • • • . The particular case to which "Truth" would draw attention is thajt of an action taken before the Registrar of Patents, by the possessor of the patent rights m a postal franking machine, against another party similarly interested. | O£ course, there is nothing; strange I m such an action being instituted ! and proceeded with. It is an ordinary, everyday occurrence, and usually worth little notice. But when, m the course of evidence, it transpires that Mr. Donald Robertson, the Public Service Commissioner, was the controlling power m the syndicate, that sold the said franking machines to \h<\ Government, "Truth" may be pardoned if it considers it most fitting and highly proper that now the House is m session, the whola circumstances surrounding the case should be made public. « • • Prom what wo con gather from the evidence m question, the history 01 the franking machine dates

from some years back, when our Postal Department, had a machine on loan from the American Post Office, which, after being m use for a considerable time, was returned. Then came the Robertson machine. Now, "Truth" affirms nothing, but is m search of the fullest information concerning postal franking machines purchased by the Government for some years back. "In the first place, "Truth" would like to know whether Robertson's machine was an original machine or an improvement on the "Yankee notion," and if the latter, what the improvements consisted of ? Whether it was a simple reversing of the action of the American machine, or contained a large number of improvements of such value and pre-eminence, that won for it a premier place as a franking machine, and, therefore, warranted its purchase for the sole use of the Post Office m New Zealand and to the exclusion of all other, similar machines? , In view of the very drastic regulations against members of the Public' Service holding positions on syndicates,, companies, or, m fact, practically anything outside their daily occupations (if we except Sunday Schools and Bands of Hope), "Truth" would like to know what position Mr. Donald Robertson held m the Postal Department during the time this particular syndicate manufactured and sold its, machines to the Government. We want to know whether he recommended the afore- | said machines to the various Post-niasters-Gencral, as regards their pi-ice, and 1 as regards that quality which the Commissioners have set so much store by, namely, efficiency. We want to know who assessed the value of these machines, the price of which came out of the public purse— was it Donald Robertson or another? We want to knew whether the mechanic who constructed these machines was m the 'employ of the Postal Department, and whether his work thereon was performed during office hours? We want to know whether he ever received any departmental emoluments for their repair, and the amounts of his remuneration from tlie syndicate. We want to know whether the aforesaid mechanic held any shares m the said syndicate. We also want to know tHe total amount paid by the Government from time to time to the Roberta son syndicate, the number of machines m use, and the period over which their purchase extended. In addition to answering the foregoing simple and elementary queries, we would like to ask if the Commissioner, or any other officer, would state whether tenders for the supply of franking machines were called for, or whether the Government had any opportunity given it of testing and purchasing any other machine. .■>.•• • • . It was stated m evidence that Mr. Donald Robertson had sold his interests m this particular syndicate before accepting his present position of Public Service Commissioner, and this iv view of the fact that when he accepted the position of Commissioner, he had reached, "Truth" understands, the age limit at which, according to the Postal Regulations, all Postal officials have to retire. Now it v is not enough that the person hold- 1 ing the post of Public Service j Commissioner, a person upon whom devolves the onerous duty of keeping jobbery out of the Public Service, should himself abstain from evil, but he must abstain from the very appearance of evil. Therefore, "Truth" is anxious to know the precise date of the sale, or transfer, of Mr. Robertson's shares, also to whom it was transferred. "Truth" considers that it is imperative that the whole matter should 1)e gone into before a different umpire than that of the Registrar oC Patents. It is not v matter of priority of right with us, It is as much m the interest of the Public Service as a whole and the Commissioner himj self, that a Parliamentary Comimittce should be set up as soon as possible, m order that any misleading conjectures or other surmises, which the publication of meagre details m the daily press have engendered, may be set at rest. "Truth" considers that herein it has given the National Government a very wide and full order of reference, and it culls upon the Government or somo independent member of the 1101180 to press for a full and searching inquiry into the whole business. Sir Joseph Ward, we understand, was Post-master-Guneral during part of the period over which the purchase of these machines was spread, and wo would likti to hear his version of that transaction, as also that of the Hon. .Mr. Khodes, ox-Post-um.ster-fjteneral. Indeed, "Truth" feels called upon to ask Mr. Donald Robertson himself to move m the mutter, as wo have not yet heard whether the Registrar of Patents has given his decision. Should none of these- gentlemen earo I" initiate, proceedings m tin? direction herein indicnted, this paper considers that our Parliamentarians will be wanting m public duty if they foil to demand ti thorough Htul .searching inquiry and probe this business to tho bottom.