SUPERANNUATION

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17168, 26 March 1927, Page 6

SUPERANNUATION

| POWER BOARD'S SCHEME. I | DEFERRED FOR TWO MONTHS. By three votes to two at its January meeting the Waitaki Power Board decided to inaugurate a superannuation scheme for its employees, hut as a result of a resolution passed at yestesday's meeting nothing furtlier will he done for two months a majority of those present ■being in favour of holding the proposal over until they liad gone more fully into it. The chairman (Mr ,T. M. Forrester) mov?d that the Board accept Ihe conditions and benelits set out in the proposed scheme. iMr R. Mahan in seeonding the motion .said it was one of the best things they coukl do. It was not j an insuranee scheme, hut one tliat would make provision for the eni- , ployees in later lil'e. When they had sucli practical support from the Government they should have no hesitation inadopting the suiaerannuation scheme. Surely they could help men who were giving the hest part of tkeir lives to ensure the , Board's success. Mr J. Newlands said if the Government had approved of the scheme, it was only since the las't meeting. It was all very well to say the provisions were known, but he was not aware of them. At the previous meeting he wanted the vote hekl over until the Government's attitude was known. He had nothing against * a superannuation scheme hut he ohjected to it heing spring on to the Board in such an abrupt nianner. It was easier for tlie Board to remedy any defects than to aslc the employees to pay in part of tlieir salaries. He moved, as an amendment, that the matter be deferred to a future date. Mr T. A. Munro seconded the amendment, stating that he could not see how the scheme would beneflt the Board. Mr Mahan said a superannuation scheme would tend to keep the good men in the employ of the Board. The Auckland Board had adopted a scheme and the maximum pension A^as £300. The chairman said the ischeme would cost the Board £218. Mr Newlands contended that the Board would be penalising the man who was paying to the Boroug'h. The chairman said the matter was previously placed before the memhers of the Board. The sugges- ) tion made at a meeting of the County Council that tlie scheme was being introduced to cover up ihe Board's profits was all nonsense. He wouldi not sit on a Board that would do that and he hoped the j work of one local body woukl^ not be discussed at the table of anolher. Mr Newlands said hc did not like j moving his motion • in the absence j of Mr Milligan. The Board's em- I ployees were handsomely paid and | if the scheme was not introduced I for another two years it would not • hurt much. He would stand by.whal • he had previously said. i The chairman said he had voted ! in favour of the scheme and was sure, when that.sort of thing was provided for the men, they would get hetter work out of them. There

would be no necd lo keep a man 011 after lic could not do any work. A man would retire and thc Board would not have the unpleasan duty of lcicking liim out. Mr Munro said lie felt ihe employees were getting adeqnate wages and he thought any further advantages could he held over until the reticulation was complete. The chairman pointed out that only permanent employees would participate in the scheme. Mr W. Gardiner said he had always been in favour of superannuation scliemes and he Ava.s on this. cfcasion. He belieVed that when the men came to retire they would sing the praises of the Board. He would support the proposal. Mr J. McDiarmid said at the present time extra charges should not be saddled on to the Board. When the work was more advanced they would probably have more support for the scheme. The engineer-manager (Mr I. Dalmer) said 17 memhers of thc stalT had joined up to participate in the scheme. Some of the older employees. were under the Boroug'h Council's scheme and the superannuation board had statecl that that service would count with the Power Board's scheme. The chairman said 11 out of Ihe 17 were former- employees of the Council and when they came over to the Board they were unable to participate in the Council's superannuation scheme. The engineer-manager said the Power Board was a 'business concerij and the profits went to the good of the community. He would hot recommend a superannuation scheme if he thought there was any possible chance of having to strike a rate. On the suggestion of Mr McDiarmid, Mr Newlands agreed to alter his amendnfent to defer th>e matter till the first meeting of the new Board. . A vote was then taken and the amendment was carried by four votes to three, Messrs Newlands, Mclnnes, Munro and McDiarmid voting in the affirmative and Messrs Forrester, Mahan and Gardiner voting against the amendment.