SALARIES OF MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1736, 29 April 1913, Page 4

SALARIES OF MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES.

Sir,—A'_ correspondent recently raised tho question of tlio salaries paid l>.y the city to its apparently with the idea of suggesting that some or more of them are overpaid. I doubt it. Take tho case of [Kill-clerks and deputy-return-ing olHcers next Wednesday. At elections such as last year, for Mayor and councillors only, tho clerks receive ;E1 15s. and :the deputy-returning officers, who have tho responsibility, an extra ten shillings. The day's work in such years begins at '8.30 and lasts approximately 12 hours, without a break. Next Wednesday there will lte four separate polls instviid of two, four "counts" instead of two, and iii'lv odd candidates instead of about iwenty-fivc. Tho day's work v. ill begin at 8..'10, thoi promises to bo exceptionally heavy, probably creating a record, and few, if any, deputy-returning officers will be able to hand in the keys of their boxes (their final' act of duty) before 10 ( p.m. And yet it is said that their pay for this long and hard and responsible day's work- is-still to bo but •82 ss. With double the amount of work to bo done, the amount' of this pay is unreasonably small. The City Council requires, aiid, ' for . the most part, obtains good and experienced men for tho work; ,It shotild surely 'pay them as such, say .£3 am, etc., ' • ' ' AN ELECTOR.