Horowhenua County Clerkship.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 September 1915, Page 3

Horowhenua County Clerkship.

— ; f (I'roiu.. tho Otaiu Mail.) The Horowheuua County Council has been responsible for some peculiar actions in the past, more particularly with regard to the appointment of some of its officers and servants, some of which have been utterly beyond the comprehension oi the majority of ratepayers of the county. Yet another instance of the extraordinary, inexplicable and unbusinesslike methods adopted by the council was furnished on Saturday last with regard to the appointment of a clerk to the council. T ; enable the public to better understand the position, we may briefly state the position. At its last April meeting, the council granted Mr H. E. Lodge (county clerk) six months' leave of absence, with the understanding that further leave would be granted if necessary to enable him to enter the military camp at Trentham, and serve at the front with our Expeditionary Forces. The council then called for applicants for a temporary clerk—for bis months, possibly longer—asking applicants to state salary re:fiiiiv<l (a most extraordinary method : to be , adopted). At the June meeting the council appointed Mr J. B. Currie as' temporary clerk. Recently events occurred which caused Mr H. E. Lodge 1 to seud in his resignation as clerk and i treasurer, and this came before the council at its meeting last Saturday. The council accepted the resignation, and, after lengthy discussion in committee, appointed a new clerk (Mr Verry) at a higher salary than ever! paid previously, at the same time, we presume, summarily dispensing with the services of the acting-clerk. We are utterly at a loss to understand -the council's reasons lor adopting so unbusinesslike a procedure. The council may have been in its power in appointing a clerk without calling for applications for the position, but ! it is without precedent to take such I a course. We have not a word to say against Mr Vcrry—we believe ho' is a most efficient officer, in every way' eminently fitted for the position—but 1 at seems extraordinary that the usual course of publicly calling for applica-' tiont; for the position was not adopted, i The council did not know who might , apply for the position—possibly even ' a better man than .Mr Verry might have offered his services at the salary' pain previously, £275—and the rate- 1 , payees will, -we feel convinced, hold the council guilty of having acted in i a hasty, unbusinesslike, and wholly \ unprecedented manner. The whole ! of the proceedings were taken in cammi tee. and consequently the public is j quit* unaware 'of the facte that led I •the council to act as it did. There may have been extenuating circum-1 stances—the ratepayers have a right to know more than they do at present,' in any ea*e—but we think the rate-' pay ere have good reason to complain of the action of its representatives in appointing such an important servant in such a hurried and unbusinesslike ■ manner. In view of such an appoint-' went, at an increased salary of £dn J per annum, it is not to be wondered at that the ratepayers feel that there is some "hole and corner work" that they do not relish.