The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1945. Party Comes First

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23315, 26 September 1945, Page 4

The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1945. Party Comes First

JN a statement- vesterdav the Minister of Marine, the Hon. J. O’Brien,, made tile disturbing disclosure that the Government, when it has the power to till extraordinary vacancies on local bodies, intends to choose the nominee who is recommended by the Labour Party organisation in the district without reference to the status or experience of the other nominees whose names may have been submitted for consideration. “Wherever possible,” said Mr O’Brien, “we endeavour to have men of our own party on public bodies. It was the case when the previous Government was in power and we follow suit.” If this was done in the past the present Government could advantageously break with an unwise tradition and follow the not wholly irrational policy of appointing the man whose experience is likely to be of most value to the local body particularly concerned and to the people as a whole. This discussion has arisen over the Govefnment’s appointment to fill an • extraordinary vacancy on the Timaru Harbour Board. Major N. A. Rattray was nominated by the Waimate Borough Council and the Waimate County Council, while the successful nominee had the decisive advantage of being nominated by the Waimate Labour Representation Committee. The two former bodies are probably better judges of the qualities required of a Timaru Harbour Board member than the Waimate Labour Representation Committee, but their judgement means nothing to the • Marine Department or the Government. The other nominee was chosen for the position, on Mr O’Brien's admission, for the irrelevant consideration that he is a “Labour man.” South Canterbury is fortunate in not having had its local body administration disturbed by parly politics which have been an unhappy influence in other centres. The Government, however;, without any knowledge of this harmonious background, has deliberately obtruded politics into the affairs of a major body in this area. The position is all the more regrettable because the man whom the Government rejected, a decorated veteran of two wars, is widely respected in South Canterbury. The effect of the Government’s decision is that while he is good enough to serve as an officer in the field, he is not suitable, because he does not bear the partv label, to serve his country in another capacity when he returns from war. Mr O’Brien said he did not know Major Rattray was a returned man. Surely, if he has any sense of responsibility, he should have made himself acquainted with the full civic record of a man recommended by two local bodies before the final choice was made. In this case ignorance is no defence. The fact is that the Government was more interested in the party label than in a man’s service to his country. Mr O’Brien would have some difficulty in representing that as a healthy trend. It is no reflection on the capacity of the candidate appointed to say that the Government has made a mistake. Its action mocks the profession that war veterans, all else being equal, are entitled to special consideration from the State. A mistake of this kind can be remedied, even at the cost of rejecting the recommendation of the Waimate Labour Represent- ' ation Committee, and cancelling the appointment already made.