BOROUGH COUNCIL EMPLOYEES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2114, 13 April 1920, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL EMPLOYEES.

IXCREASEI) WAGES AND GRANTS. SALVAGE ALLOWANCE. At lasi jlight’s meeting of the Borough Council the gas works manager, Mr X. C. Baildon, made application for some remuneration for overtime worked at the recent lives. Ho pointed out that at the last three tires lie had saved gas meters to the value of over £IOO, and also a large quantity of gas. The- Finance Committee recommended a payment of £d tor Mr ilaihhm’s services at (he last three (ires. <• The Mayor said that this would he £1 for each (ire, i which he thought was a fair thing. The Eire Inspector, Mr MeKnight, received ten shillings for work done at each lire. Cr. Coley did not think the amount was siiftieimt,, .afr Rail don Lad saved a lot of borough property. Personally he did not thin!': six guineas would he too much, Cr. MeMurray said that a certain amount of risk was taken hy iMr Baildon in gelling the meters out, and in view of theMargc amount of money that had been saved to the borough through the meters being removed he would like to see the amount increased to, say, live guineas. The Mayor said he was quite agreeahle to make it live guineas, and this was unanimously acceded to.

ROADMEN'S INCREASE,

Mi' W. Sox(rni, roadman, applied tor an increase in wages oi: two shillings per day. lie staled that ho found the present rale of 11s Sd per day insnliicient, and the increase asked tor was necessary to cope with'l lie extra cost of living'.

Cr. Coley moved, and Cr. Walker seconded, that (he roadmen be granted an increase in Avages of ten shillings per week. Cr. Coley said he considered the men were entitled increase. The Kairanga County Connell was paying 14s per day. Cr. Thompson said they were, both good men, and entitled to the increase.

In reply to a question, by Cr. MeMurrav. the Mayor said the proposed increase , would bring the roadman’s Avages up to 1.4 s per day, and the foreman’s to los. The motion Avas carried unanimously.

GRANT TO STOKER. CAUSES DISCUSSION. Mr E.'G. Martin, gas works stoker, made application tor extra pax for the time he was in charge of the works during the manager’s absence on holiday. He pointed out,, that when lie was away the borough inspector was put on to do the stoking, and whilst engaged in this work was -paid at the same rate as the stoker. He therefore asked that his (Mr Marlin’s) wages should be made up to those received by the gas manager, for the period that he took the manager's, place. This would bo £2.

The Mayor moved, and Cr. Rand seconded, that the £2 asked for be paid. The Mayor saickhe believed in the principle -of-equal pay for equal work. The stoker had been a very faithful servant. He said that lie had been absent recently for some time through illness, and the Council had paid Ipm full wages, but that was no fault of Mr Martin s. Cn Coley said he would always support'anything within reason, but lie did not think this application, was reasonable. He us iced could the stoker carry on the works ? Mhen the manager went away he left everything in tip-top order. In paying the stoker the same wages as the manager for these two weeks was putting him, on the same foot-

ing as the manager, and he eontended this was absolutely unreasonable. . Cr. Hand said he failed to see anything unreasonable about it. The stoker had to do the manager’s work, and was therefore entitled to receive the same pay as the manager for that period. Cr. Me Murray said he thought the stoker should have something extra for the work, but not the full amount. Mr Baildon left everything O.K. when he went away, and the stoker certainly did not have the same responsibility as the manager. It was not reasonable to pay a stoker the same wages as a manager wlm had very many years’ experience.

The Mayor said there were no complaints during the time the manager was away.

Cr. Rand said that the man who took .Marlin’s place received the same wages as Marlin did, and it was only fair that when Martin look the manager's place he should receive similar treat incut. Cr. Thompson didn’t think the Council should pay the stoker tne same as the manager. The manager was in the town during (his period, and if anything had gone wrong he would have boon called upon. The stoker was entitled to something, hut not to ho put on the same footing as the manager. Cr. Parkin: This man will work all the points imaginable. Cr. Colev; I know it.

(>. Hunt : Pul Iho motion, ATr Mayor. The* amount is nol worth arguing tho point about. On (ho motion being put, the voting was otjual: h’ov—Tho Mayor ami Crs. Hunt, Pearson, K’and, and Bryant. Against—Crs. Coley, • Parkin, Walkor. Mo Murray, and Tlnuapson, The M a yen' gave his easting vole in favour of the mol ion. i

Mr ,]. Parker, sanitary contmotor, made application for (wo weeks wages in lieu of holidays. The holidays were due in December last, but he had been unable to pel anyone to take his place. The application was granted.