NOT UNDERSTOOD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1087, 28 March 1911, Page 6

NOT UNDERSTOOD.

MUNICIPAL PROVIDENT FUND. The Petone Borough Council last evening considered a letter from the "Wellington Town Clerk ill reference to local authorities' superannuation. Information was asked for as' to the number of employees of th« council, tho number \Vho would be likely to join the superannuation scheme, the percentage on the wages, or contribution the council would be prepared to pay, and the rate'of wages paid to the various - officers and' employees, length of service, age, and whether they wero married ur single. This information, the latter stated, was Tcquired in order that a proposal might be submitted to an actuary for the drawing, up of a sche'mo of. superannuation. ' The Mayor stated that the matter had been raised twelve months ago. and submitted to tho employees. Apparently, at that time, they did not understand the scheme, or wore not in favour of- it. Councillor Short remarked that the National Provident scheme would probably make a local authorities' superannuation scheme unnecessary. ' Councillor Piper' said that he did not think that the employees, or anybody else, understood the scheme. No one was likely to understand it nntil a table of contributions and benefits had bcon drawn up. The average working ra'an would look at .it as follows:—"This is .so much out of my pocket; how much do I get for it,?"' Councillor Southgate said that, in tho . case of old men, contributions would amount to' nearly half their Wages, and tjie Mayor agreed that this was "one of the difficulties." ' Answering a question, Mr. M'Ewan said thathe understood that ( .this proposal "referred to a joint sthenic for tho city and several local bodies round tho citv. I'inally it was agreed that tho clerk should obtain from the council cmnlovees the information desired by the Wellington City Council.