HITTING THE RATEPAYER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3180, 3 September 1917, Page 6

HITTING THE RATEPAYER

Sir, —In common with many others I was .amazed to read in yesterday's Dominion that the City Council, in stcret conclave ("in committer" is the official term), decided last Thursday week to grant increases of salary to the several departments, amounting in all -to over .£2300. I judge from the fact that the nevra was not published the day after the council meeting or approximate thereto that the power that be did not intend to make the mattor public at all until roused to do so by your energetic anrl watchful servants. What one -would like to know, and what the ratepayers are entitled to know, is what salaries have lapsed owing to the depletion of staffs spoken of by the Mayor, 60 that the public may know the net amount of tho increases made in each dep-artmont, or, what will be even more satisfactory, to each of the public's officers. That conld-be very simply dono by a comparative table showing the salaries that were paid in June, 1914, and what aro being paid a:t the 'present time. At the present time the ratepayers are being hit very hard by the rise in the cost of living plus the new taxation, nnd cannostand being fooled in this matter by a. council which must have tacitly agreed to keep quiet about the whole business. Further, the public (and by the public I mean the ratepayers of Wellington) would like to be enlightened as to how much of the general revenue is to be commandeered by the City Council to holster up the superannuation scheme now bein» framed uo for the City Council staff.- If -the staff is to finance its own scheme, well and good, but if tho citizens are to be asked to rontribute heavily vear after vear the ioke is too expensive a one to rrin at. It may be tragic to many. What arc tho new watchdogs on the. council thinking about to allow these things to be?-I August 30.