P. & T. WAR BONUS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1788, 6 November 1919, Page 6

P. & T. WAR BONUS.

WHAT WAS PROMISED? JUDGE TO INVESTIGATE. [From Our Own Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, November 5. The matter of the payment of the War bonus to officers of the Post and Telegraph Department for the six months ended Sep. tember 30, 1919, which has been prominently before the House this session, came again under notice this evening. The position now is that some responsible outsider—preferably a Judge of the Supreme Court—is to be appointed to decide what

shall be done. In a statement to the House of Representatives to-night, the Postmaster General (Hon. Ji G. Coates) said that the matter—which was indeed a very, very difficult one—had had much consideration. Certain promises were alleged to have been made, although it was difficult to get substantial evidence in that direction. The Government recognised that, if the bonus were paid to the Post and Telegraph Department, it would have to be paid to other departments. The only satisfactory way of dealing with the matter was that some responsible person—a Judge of the Supreme Court, if possible—should be appointed to consider what should be clone in the matter. That was the fairest course possible to pursue. Mr W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) suggested to the Minister that a judge would not be a satisfactory person to consider this particular matter. He would be the last to say anything disrespectful of our Judges, but the legally-trained mind would go by the word of the Cabinet minute, and would settle the question along those lines. It would be better if. in the interests of getting a thoroughlv satisfactory solution of the problem, somebody who had not the legal mind was appointed to carVy out this verv delicate duty. The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward (Leader of the Opposition) entered a strong protest against the course that was being resorted to of asking a Judce of the Supreme Court to investigate a plain matter of fact. It was the first time in the history of this country that an outside person had been asked to investigate an official statement made by a Minister of the Crown. The Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey) said that the matter was an exceedingly difficult one. He had thought it simple at first, but it was far from simple when he went into it. It turned out now that a i second promise /as alleged to have been made at the annual reunion of postal employees, but there was absolutely no record of that. The Government wanted to do what was ritrht in f.ie matter. It was not committed to the appointment of a Supreme Court Judge, but it wanted to find some suitable man.

The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward (I-eader of the Opposition) said that, of course, the responsibility was the Government's. It was his own firm opinion that, apart altogether from this, very grave injustice had been done to officers of the Post and Telegraph Department, owing to the fact that the increased cost of living had not been taken into consideration in their reprading. It was a new and novel idea to ask somebody outside the Government of the countrv to decide what the position of a Minister of the Crown was at the time that he was acting. Mr Massey: No! What the actual promise was! Sir Joseph Ward: Well! That is a new thing that I hone will not be put into operation by "any other Government at any time.