BOROUGH OFFICE EXPENSES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 978, 11 April 1911, Page 3

BOROUGH OFFICE EXPENSES.

SALARY OF ASSISTANT,

At last night’s Council meeting Miss Fraser, assistant in the Town Clerk's office, applied for an increase of salary from ros to per week. She pointed out that for some considerable time past the Borough office work had been steadily increasing. Cr Ross said £1 per week was little enough to pay an assistant for the work that was being done. If the Council had to get anyone else £i per week would be the least they would have to pay. He considered Miss Fraser was entitled to the increase asked for, and the amount then would be only a fair wage. He moved that Miss Fraser’s salary be increased to £1 per week as asked for.

The motion was seconded by Cr Gibbs, who said that the present was a position he had known for some time would have to be faced. If the Council had to get someone else they would have to pay more for the assistance. There would be extra work in connection with the hall, and it should be understood now that this increase covered that work, and there should be no further increase.

Cr Speirs said he recognised that the young lady would not be any too well paid at the salary asked tor, but up to the present time the salary of the Town Clerk and assistant had been looked upon as one. He considered that the combined salaries of these officers was more than should be paid by the Council for the work that was being done.

Cr Stewart asked how much the office work was costing at the present time, and on being told that the two salaries amounted to ,£246, said that he was perfectly aware that Miss Fraser’s salary was too small, aud if the Council had to get anyone else a great deal more would have to be paid. At the same time be was of opinion that was quite as much as the Council is able to pay for the work. The assistant certainly required a higher salary, but it should be deducted from that paid to the Town Clerk. At the present time the Foxton Borough paid more for its office work than any other borough of a similar size. The Mayor questioned Cr Stewart’s last remark. Crs. Adams aud Rimmer favoured the motion.

The Mayor said that they were there to do their duty to the public and when there was an application for an increase of salary they should debate it on its merits irrespective of who the applicant was. Personally he knew that it would be impossible to get anyone else tor 10s per week. It must also be taken into consideration that there would be a good deal of extra work in connection with the hall, and it should also be understood that this increase covered that work. There was no doubt that the borough had gone ahead aud the work had increased considerably and was still increasing. He was of opinion that the increase asked for was a fair thing. Cr Gibbs said he would like to see incorporated in the motion a clause to the effect that this increase covers all extra work in connection with the hall.

In replying, Or Ross said he was surprised that an outside matter —the Town Clerk’s salary —had been brought into the discussion. They were not discussing Mr Fraser’s salary, but an application from Miss Fraser. If the assistant had not been the daughter of the Town Clerk they would have had to consider it independently. This application was a separate matter altogether. The motion on being put was carried.

Mr Phaser asked permission to make a small explanation. He assured the Council that he never had any intention of applying for an increase in salary on account of the extra work in connection with the hall. The Councillor who stated that more was being paid in Foxton for the office work than in other boroughs of a similar size had been misinformed. There was not another borough iu the Dominion where the same work was being done for the salary paid locally. He also mentioned that had the increase not been granted it was Miss Phaser’s intention to tender her resignation, as she had been offered 27s 6d per week iu Wellington.