FOXTON LOCAL BOARD OFFICIALS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 76, 23 May 1879, Page 2

FOXTON LOCAL BOARD OFFICIALS.

The Foxton Local Board have called for tenders for the appointment of Clerk, Collector, and Uverseer. As the tenders will not be opened before the 30th instant, we desire to point out a few features of the question, which appear to have been overlooked, in the hope that the Board will pause before involving th 3 ratepayers in a large annual expeuse, which will bring no corresponding benefit. The whole affair of calling for tenders was done in a hurried manner. Accoiding to the specifications the appointee has to be in attend-

anco daring certain, hours of the day ; he has to transact all clerical work, write out specifications, furnish estimates, and overlook the works carried on by the Hoard. But when the whole is put 'together, what does it amount to, in a small town like Foxton 1 Probably, to take the whole year round, nine, mouths out of the twelve there would not be a single stroke of tho pen required. Then, again, not one mau in a hundred is able to act as a working overseer, draw plans, specifications, and estimates, and do Clerk's work besides. Numbers of men who would make exoeilent working overseers, would be completely " at sea " if a pen were placed in their hands instead of a spade; whilst good clerks rarely ate able to take up a long handled shovel, and perform the duties of a working overseer. The Boaid are advertising for a very rare article, and rare articles always command high prices. A good man who is required, to devote the whole of his tiuie to the duties of the Board, will require to be pjtid at least £120 per annum. He cannot subsist on anything less. The Board has not sufficient work to warrant Ihe expen* diture of even one half that amount. Their total income last year was only between £400 and £500. To spend one»f mrth of the whole in salaries of officiate would be a waste of money. What we think the Board should do is, engage an honest, practical, laboring man; let him take his orders from the Chairman regarding the work he

is to do } see that he is aolo to lay off a drain, ol v throw a culvert aci'oss a creek, and give him constant %voi'k Also) let the Boai'd determine \vlmt the Clerk's office is Worth, and invite applications from ptrsons willing to perform the duties for the sum the Boai'd will give, "\Vo believe the whole of the clerical work could be done for £30 or £40 per annum, and that sum would be quite as much as it is worth, if the pei'ddn appointed Were not compelled to devote his whole time to the work. The members of the Hoard c mid themselves look after the works in parts of the township allotted to them. Some such plan as that We have buggested would be more economical, and in every way superior to engaging some individual at a liberal salary to do literally nothing; Any works requiring a skilled engineers Services, could be easily provided for, by a commission being paid to some competent person for the work done. We hope the Board will pause before committing the ratepayers to a large and utterly useless tixpenditurei