POSTAL SERVICE

Southland Times, Issue 19656, 5 October 1922, Page 5

POSTAL SERVICE

THE BANNED AFFILIATION LONG DEBATE IN THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT'S STAND ENDORSED. (Per United Pres< Association.) WELLINGTON, October 4. In the House of Representatives this afternoon, according to the promise of the Premier, the debate was resumed on the report of the committee on the petition of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association asking for the right to affiliate with the Alliance of Labour. Sir John Luke (Wellington North) resuming his speech, urged the House to remember what- was behind the proposed affiliation. He felt, sure it ( was to be used to strengthen the Post and Telegraph Association so that it might, use greater force to wrest from the Government what itwanted. He did not think the affiliation to be in the interests of the State, and the Government did not believe the Post and Telegraph Association should affiliate with the Alliance of Labour. It. should be impossible for an outside body to function in a dispute between the State, and a section of; its employees. The Hon J. G. Coates, Postmaster-Gen-eral, quoted from the platform of the Alliance of Labour to support his contention that the affiliation of a. public department with that body was not in the interests of the State. After dealing at length with the arguments for and against affiliation he stated that the Government had not at any point used pressure against affiliation. The conversations had been carried on in the l>est possible spirit, and no more pressure was used in the case of the counter petition than was used in the case of the first petition. He did not think what had happened so far would interfere with the loyalty and efficiency of the Department, but affiliation was something to which the Government would | not as a matter of policy agree. Mr M. J. Savage (Auckland West) in supporting the right to affiliate, said that if there were no intimidation used towards the members of the Post and Telegraph Association something very like a threat was helfl out to them in one of the Post-masier-General’s letters to them. Mr W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) said he recognised that the Post, and Telegraph men were suffering from grievances which should have been settled between . them and the Government. At the same time ,hc could not see any advantage could come to the Post and Telegraph Association by affiliation with Ute Alliance of labour. He thought a tribunal should be set up to adjust the differences between the Department and the Government. Mr Massey paid a tribute to the loyalty of the members of the Post and Telegraph service. About that there was no question in his mind whatever. There was no relation between the position of the railwaymen and the Post and Telegraph men, but as a matter of 'fdet not all the railwaymen were affiliated with the Alliance of Labour. Only the AJAR, men were affiliated and that was done at a time when it was not. noticed. He did not know how that came about but. he was quite prepared to take action if necessary. The House rose at 5.30. When the House resumed at 7.30, Mr Massey continued the debate, saying that while the question was whether or not the Post and Telegraph men should be allowed to join up with the Alliance of Labour, tha£ question could be discussed quietly and vote taken, and he had no doubt what the decision of the House would be. He did not consider it in the interests of the State that this affiliation should take place, because it was perfectly well known that the leaders of the Alliance were for the most part in favour of direct action, and he wanted to know what was going to happen if the Alliance called upon the Post and Telegraph men to join in a general strike. Clause 427 of the Versailles Treaty had been quoted against tlbt* action of the Government, but. he wished to point out that the terms of that clause wer? pot. intended to apply to a country such as New Zealand. It was intended to apply to backward countries such as Japan, where men often worked sixty hours a week. The clause had no application to New Zealand whatever. Proceeding, he quoted from the report of a commission set up in Australia on the identical question they were discussing that night. That report pointed out that there could be no such affiliation without serious detriment u> the public interests, because sooner or later public servants must become involved in disputes in which they were not directly concerned. Similar reports were brought down by commissions set up in France and Britain. What applied in those countries applied with equal force in New Zealand. So tar as State servants in New Zealand were concerned they had very’ little to complain of. Tribunals had been set up to deal with disputes, and anyone searching the records would find that the Government treated its servants well. Personally he did not think this proposed affiliation in the best interest of the State, and as head of the Government he was quite prepared to take the consequences of that opinion. Mr G. W. Forbes (Hurunui) thought that from the 1 point of view of the Post, and Telegraph men themselves affiliation was a mistake. It could do them no good, and might work a great deal of harm. They could not say they had no advocates in the House, for there were plenty of members who were prepared to see that they got fair play. He then proceeded to discuss some remarks made by the Premier at Levin and asked, if the Liberals came into power after the next election, would the Premier join with the Labour Party to put the liberals out? Mr Massey heatedly shouted across the house: “The hon. gentleman is suggesting the impossible. I will not join with the extreme Labour Party for any purjM>se whatever.” Mr E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) said the Post and Telegraph men were law abiding citizens, and they were prepared to obey the law, but there was no law to prevent- them doing wbat they wanted to dy, and the whole issue was why should they’ be selectwWor different treatment from all other sections ot the community? Il might be right to put on the statute book some legislation to prevent the Post, and Telegraph men affiliating with the Alliance of Labour, but that legislation did not exist and the question was. had an injustice been done to the small group of people by preventing their doing what every one else was jtermitted to do ? Mr V. IL Potter (Roskill) said there might be no law to prevent this projxjsed affiliation, but. as the highest tribunal in the land, the House had the right to intervene in the interests of the public. There could be only one master in this country and that master could not lie the civil servants but. the Government elected by the fieople to govern the country. Mr S. G. Smith (Taranaki) said he had no brief for the Alliance of Labour, but he thought that if the affiliation had been allowed in the first instance nothing detrimental to the State would hifve happened. The Alliance of Labour could not compel the Post and Telegraph men to strike if they did not wish to, and he ridiculed the assertion that affiliation would result in officers of the Department breaking their oath of secrecy. He was going to vote to refer the report back because the prayer of the petition asked that the Postmaster- General should be compelled to disclose the Legal authority on which he based his ban on the affiliation. That information should be given to the House and to the country, or ihe ban on the affiliation should be withdrawn.

Mr J. McCombs (Lyttelton) started to discuss the cost of living, but almost immediately fell foul of the Speaker and sat down without proceeding with his argu-

Mr H. Atmore (Nelson) said the question was not she cost of living, but what had created daseontent amongst the Post, and Telegraph servants was the unfair way in which the Goveroment. sought to balance

accounts. Tlwy took 16 per cent off th« telegraph message boys, but only 7, or 8 jx*r centi off men getting £BOO per annum. They gave the Bank of New Zealand a concession in taxation of £17,000, but took £3O off the public servants. So far as he could see the question at issue was whether the representatives of the people Should have charge of public affairs, or whether part- of that control should pass to the Alliance of l>abc»ur, which was not elected on a popular franchise.

After the supper adjournment the debate was carried on by Messrs Parry. Munro, Fraser, and .Sullivan, who supported tire right of the Post, and Telegraph Association to affiliate with the ADiance of Ixdiour, and by Messrs kit). Lytmar, McLeod, Wright, R. W. Smith, W“iUy, and Dickson (Chalmers). who opposed it. On a division the amendment, moved by Mr Holland, That the report be referred back to the Committee for further consideration, was defeated by 53 to 11. The petition was then referred to tbe Government in accordance with the Committee's report.