CIVIL SERVANTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 219, 16 September 1943, Page 4

CIVIL SERVANTS

MRS. DREAVER'S AMAZiNfINDISCRETIONS STORM OF PROTEST RAISED <P.A.) Auckland, Sept. 14. “H hy has there been no repudiation by any responsible Minister of the amazing indiscretions of Mrs Dnaavrr, Labour candidate for Waitemata, in her recent national broadcast?” asked Mr. I . W. Doidge, National Party candidate for Tauranga, at Mt. Maunganui. Mrs Dreaver had made a speech in which she vilified doctors and impugned civil servants. Both, she had declared, were trying to sabotage the Government's every effort. She claimed to be in the privileged position of one very close to the Prime Minister, in effect, she claimed to ho in a. position to reveal the Prime Minister’s mind. “There is no need to rmbark upon a defence of the doctors,” said Doidge. Of 900 on the register in I New Zealand 300 were on active service. That left 600 to attend to the exacting requirements of 1.750.00') people. They wore performing a herculean task. “But Mrs. Dreaver’s most amazing indiscretion was her sweeping assertion in regard to the Civil Service.” continued Mr. Doidge. “According to this estimable lady, the Government finds it necessary to watch and spy upon the political activities of members of the service and she makes it abundantly clear that any civil servant disagreeing with the Labour Party is liable to instant dismissal. This is sheer intimidation. Whal becomes of the mu ch-vaunt cd Labour Party catchcry of freedom from I fear? Is not the purpose of this speech to create a psychology of fear on the eve of the election, and to warn civil servants that for them at the ballot box?” The Government must by now be fully aware of the storm of indignation those utterances had aroused throughout the country, said Mr. Doidge. Why had no responsible member of the Government denounced those utterances as an hysterical and irresponsible outburst? Unless the 1 statement was repudiated, it could r /‘ x only be regarded as inspired. “PURE FASCISM” ALLEGED (P.A.) Dunedin, Sept. 14. “It is pure Fascism of the very worst type,” said Mr. YV. A. Bodkin. National candidate for Central Otago, who spoke over the air from Alexandra, in reference to the address by Mrs. Dreaver. Mr. Bodkin quoted extracts from the speech and made particular reference to Mrs. Dreaver’s threats to civil servants who were not Labour in their political views. That, said Mr. Bodkin, was the type of Fascism the soldiers were fighting overseas. “Where are the rights of the common man; where are the liberties of the individual under such a regime as that?” asked Mr. Bodkin. The Civil Service already smarted under a sense of injustice, proceeded Mr. Bodkin. The Government had gone to the extent of raiding the war chest to subsidise wages in certain industries, the power of whose militant unions could get them anything, but in the Post and Telegraph Department, for instance, which was doing a J magnificent job of work, officers were r 1 all highly trained, but. desperately underpaid. No private concern ever employed men in positions of equal rank, service or responsibility and paid such miserable salaries as were paid in the department. “CAT OUT OF THE BAG' (P.A.) Auckland. Sept. 11. Criticism of Mrs. Dreaver’s address was made at Northcote by the National Party candidate for Waitemata, Mr. H. T. Morton. “The present election campaign is comparable to a spring race meeting,” he said. “The horses arc out, the colours and the weights are up and it may well be said that after her remarks at Beach Haven on Friday the Waitemata seat will be won for National by both Mrs. Dreaver and myself.

“She let the cat out of the bag. The watersiders no doubt do a good job and they certainly receive good remuneration for it, but it is very odious for me to see watersiders and doctors placed in the same category, as Mrs. Dreaver does. I suggest, that if the work of the watersiders is dangerous. then the work of lhe doctor is more ' dangerous, especially when they are obliged to enter fever wards.” Referring to Mrs. Dreaver’s statement that some civil servants might have to find other jobs. Mr. Morion contended that New Zealand was proud of its civil servants and that they worked as hard as anyone else in the country. “We do not like Gestapo methods like these, and wo do not like unfair criticism of them,” he added. _____