The British State Telegraphs: A Study of the Problem of a Large Body of Civil Servants in a DemocracyMeyer, Hugo Richard
History
The British State Telegraphs: A Study of the Problem of a Large Body of Civil Servants in a Democracy
Meyer, Hugo Richard
Government ownership; Telegraph -- Great Britain
"Another fact which Members ought not to overlook was the political
pressure which was far too frequently exercised by Civil Servants upon
those who also represented them." ["Hear, hear."] "That was a great and
growing danger. It was chiefly in London that this pressure was brought
to bear.... He would give an instance of the way in which these Civil
Servants spoke of the expediency of political pressure. At one of the
great meetings which had been held, a speaker said there were 8,000
postmen in London, and that he hoped every one would have his name upon
the register [of voters], so that at election times they could exercise
their influence upon candidates and advocate the cause of higher
wages. He was of the opinion that political pressure ought not to be
brought to bear in that way." ["Hear, hear."] "Ordinary workmen could
not exercise the same power, but Civil Servants could, and, whether
their agitation succeeded or not, their position was secure, so that
it was a case of 'Heads, I win; tails, I don't lose'.... Before the
Royal Commission [of 1888], which had inquired into the Civil Service
establishments, evidence was given with regard to the way in which
pressure was brought to bear in certain constituencies upon Members,
and he thought that the almost unanimous feeling of the Commission
was that, if this state of things continued, it would be necessary to
disfranchise the Civil Service." ["Hear, hear."][179]
Sir Albert Rollit replied: "They had to acknowledge a very sympathetic
speech from the Secretary to the Treasury. Perhaps if some honorable
Members went to the Treasury in regard to this matter, accompanied
by one person who might represent practically the views which were
entertained by those concerned, the matter might be further gone into.
He begged leave to withdraw his Amendment."
The Secretary to the Treasury replied: "There was no objection on
the part of the Treasury to hearing communications from Members of
Parliament on the subject, but with regard to officials of the Post
Office coming to the Treasury, he should not like to give any pledge
without first consulting with the Postmaster General."
[Sidenote: _The Norfolk-Hanbury Committee_]
Shortly afterward the Postmaster General, the Duke of Norfolk, and
the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. Hanbury, constituted
themselves a Committee to investigate the grievances that the
Tweedmouth Committee had left unredressed. All Members of the House
of Commons were invited to attend the meetings of the Norfolk-Hanbury
Committee, and to take part in examining the witnesses. Sir Albert
Rollit presented the case of the Post Office employees. The
Norfolk-Hanbury Committee recommended further concessions involving an
additional outlay of $400,000 a year; and the Treasury accepted the
recommendations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account