POLITICAL ACTION

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 828, 23 November 1929, Page 6

POLITICAL ACTION

MR. HOLLANDS ADVICE TO CIVIL SERVANTS LABOUR PARTY’S CLAIMS Fresa Association WESTPORT. Friday, i In t.he To*n Hall this evening Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P.. Leader of the Labour Party, delivered an address on \ the Civil Service “ruts” before a large j gathering in which civil servants pre-! dominated The speaker traced the history of j the reductions and the sfeps taken by the Labour Party to have them restored, lie stated that all their efforts were consistently opposed by the | Reform Party, while the Liberals i vacillated. Concluding Mr. Holland said: “The j stage has now been reached where the | next effective move is with the public servant 3 themselves. In past years ■ very many of them have given continuous support to the Reform Party. In 1925, indeed there was almost a 1 stampede of a majority Into the Re-j form camp. In 1928 the drift, was into the camp of the Vnited Party. In both cases the public servants so j voting were considerably disillus- : ioned. “It is true many of the public scr j vants have given devoted service to the Labour movement and consistent' support to the Labour Party at. the polls, but in some branches of the service these have not by any means constituted a majority. However, the question now is what are the public servants, as a whole, going to do about the future? “Motions expressing indignation with those members of the House! who, un November 4, voted against the public servants are fully justified, but something more than resolutions is necessary. There is a choice of only two courses open to the public servants. They are not likely quietly to sit down and. like Micawbers, wait for something to turn up. And so they have to choose between constitutional action (which is political action) and the method of strike. I have no hesitation in saying the public servants have everything to gain by constitutional methods, and. since this is so, and since a host of them now look to the Labour Party for justice for them, it is reasonable to urge that they follow the example set by the operating staff of the telegraph office at Auckland and join with the rest of the workers in placing the moral and financial support of their organisations behind the Labour Party, both in the Hull contest next month and in the next general election. which may be nearer than many people suppose.” At the conclusion of the address a resolution was unanimously carried, “that this meeting of public servants of the Puller district congratulates the Labour Party on its consistent light for the salary improvements of the citizens of the State, and unreservedly endorses its action in this direction in the session just ended.”