The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 158, 22 January 1878, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22.

In the account of a public meeting , , convened by the Okain's Bay Road Board, and held in Okain's Bay, on the sth instant, Mr J. Barker, the chairman of that Board, is reported to have said " that he did not receive, or charge mileage, for attending the Board, but when lie had to go to Akaroa, Le Bon's, or Christchurch, on Board business, he did charge one guinea per day, and considered himself entitled to do so." We fail to see how Mr Barker or any Road Board member has a right to consider himself entitled to any portion of the public funds, unless such funds have been previously voted to him for some specific service which he may render to the Board, and through them to the public. In reply to a question from Mr Dalglish as to what district these charges are debited to, Mr Barker- said that they had a contingent fund out of which such payments are made. This, as far as Mr Barker's use of the contingent fund goes, is doubtless correct, but we hold that the contingent fund which is allowed to all public bodies, is not intended to remunerate their members for any little trouble or inconvenience they may personally suffer when merely carrying put the ordinary duties to which they have voluntarily committed themselves by taking office but rather to pay such incidental expenses as may occur from repairs, tiring, lighting, .travelling expenses of special messengers sent on the service of the Board, &c. Again, when Mr Dalglish said somewhat sarcastically, that such an arrangement must be " very convenient," MiBarker replied, " Yes, and that it bore on all sub-districts alike." Meaning by this, we presume, that the tax resulting from a payment of this kind was equally shared by all the sub-districts comprised in the Road Board district. This is problematical, and requires explanation. For instance, how is Little Akaloa benefitted by the chairman travelling to Lo Bons ? Or how is Le Bon's benefitted by the chairman's travelling to Akaroa on business affecting Little Akaloa ? Further on, however, comes tin? whole pith of the matter, when Mr Dalglish asks, "Does the Board allow all the members travelling expenses? To which Mr Barker makes answer—" On Board business they would." Herein lies the whole question, —" what is Board business ?" Is it to travel to meetings in connection with the Board? If so, then the Board has no power to allow expenses so incurred. We contend that a most dangerous precedent would be established if members of public bodies were allowed to charge for any little work accruing from their connection with them. We would ask. why did they put themselves up for election if they were not prepared to fulfil the duties devolving on the office ? One fact is a very certain one, had, the public—that is, the ratepayers —known at the time of the nomination that they would expect to be paid for their work, they would never have been elected. Putting this aside, however, it is entirely contrary to the intention of the Act, that lioad Board members should be salaried officers, or in any way receive payment for the carrying odfc of their public duties. Such a line of action would lead to a most corrupt state of affairs, and tend to lessen public confidence in the integrity of the Boards. We should very much like to see how payments of this nature have been accounted for in the annual returns of the Okain's Bay Jioad Board. Possibly as contingencies, or it may be as " incidents ;" but however it was, we feel

quite certain that the entry was not for • v Chairman's travelling expenses," and we wonder the Government do not more strictly enquire into these 'incidental expenses, their origin and composition.