NON-RECOGNITION OF RETURNED SERVICEMEN

Wanganui Chronicle, 31 October 1946, Page 6

NON-RECOGNITION OF RETURNED SERVICEMEN

N.Z.R.S.A. MAKES FURTHER PROTEST TO GOVERNMENT

(P.A.) Wellington. Oct. 30 At a special meeting of the Dominion executive committee of the N.Z.R.S.A., it was unanimously decided to make further emphatic protests concerning ’nonrecognition by the Government of the principle of preference to returned servicemen when appointments to the new Public Service Commission were being made. The executive, in a statement, says: Apart altogether from the fact that the principle of preference has been sidestepped, it is felt by the R.S.A. that with the important question of regrading within the Public Service as one of the main tasks confronting the new commission, it was vitai, in the interests of all ex-servicemen within the service, that at least one of the commission should be a returned serviceman, v. ho would have a sympathetic understanding of their claims. Ministers of the Crown were ready enough to claim from the hustings what they were doing for the returned servicemen, yet when the opportunity presented itself to do something effective in the interests of returned men,'they are conveniently forgotten. Addressing the R.S.A. annual Dominion conference, the Prime Minister said: “We are coming into contact, and indeed in some cases will come into conflict, with certain prejudices and rights that, have been established over the years, but I firmly believe that the most important thing of all is to see this country recognises the services given by the returned men, to see. that, regardless of certain principles, prejudices and vested rights and interests, the claims of returned men are adequately safe-

guarded, and if the choice is between setting aside even cherished vested rights and adequate recognition of tne rights of our boys, then those vested lights and interests must be set aside.” “Evidently, ” says the executive, “what applies to wnat the Prime Minister terms ‘vested interests' does not apply to the Government, and in the case of appointments to the Public Service Commission. The Government has blatantly ignored the principle of preference io returned men, despite the fact that early representations had been made by the N.Z.R.S.A. in the matter, as no reply has been made to Hie association’s protest, nox has any attempt been made 16 explain why tire returned servicemen within the Public Service have been entirely disregarded. An urgent request has been made to the Prime Minister asking the Government to reconsider the appointments made, and to give earnest consideration to the selection of at least one of the high-ranking departmental officers who answered the nation’s call in time of war, and who still loyally serves the Dominion in peacetime. “In his opening address of the election campaign in Auckland tne Prime Minister emphasised the splendid cooperation the Government nad received from the N.Z.R.S.A., which is quite true, but at that time he must have known that on a vital issue affecting the interests of returned servicemen, on which the association had made urgent representations to him , the wishes of the R.S.A. had been ignored. “The R.S.A. is determined in ita intention to leave no stone unturned in its efforts to ensure that the claims and rights of returned servicemen in the Public Service are adequately safeguarded when regrading is being carried out.”