THE CORPORATION STAFF.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5211, 4 December 1877, Page 3

THE CORPORATION STAFF.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sir,— The City Council is pretty precipitate sometimes. Slow-going as to in general, it comes to the point with surprising rapidity when there is a friend to he helped, or an enemy to he paid off. The Towu Hall plans’ business was one instance j the coup of last evening is another. The report of the Re-organisation Committee, which has now been printed, was rather a bulky and formidable document in the manuscript, and Councillors Diver, Maginity, and I, who saw it for the first time, asked for an adjournment in order to give time to sift its contents and test, its bearings. This was vehemently objected to, for a reason which was inscrutable to me until I reflected upon the occurrence of the following passages in the report “In the preparation of the burgess list and roll for the past year, Mr. Hester has displayed a weakness of character, and an inability to grasp the true responsibilities of his honorable position.” “ Mr. Ames has been many years in the service of the Corporation, and during that period has proved himself a worthy officer. The committee, however, cannot absolve Mr. Ames from blame in the matter of the nonissue of a number of the notices to ratepayers respecting rates due for the present year,” I recognised here something of what Shiel called the wild justice of revenge. These _ are the two-gentlemen whose testimony contributed to the disappearance of Mr. Hutchisou s name from the burgess roll, and here is the pursuing vengeance of:. Hr. Hutchison, carried into effect through the agency of Mr. Hutchison’s instruments on the committee. Finding it tinged with this feeling, I declined to swallow the report nolens volens at the dictation of Mr. “Bismarck.” I firmly believe in the necessity for retrenchment. I may say, without egotism, that I was amongst the first to point out that the wages and salaries were draining the life-blood of the city ; hut I declined to give a final vote upon a large question, affecting the complete re-organisationof the Corporation service, without proper time for reflection. It should be borne in mind that the report was adopted by six out of a Council of thirteen members. These six evinced such questionable haste and determination to push the matter through that I shall feel myself perfectly justified at any future time in moving to set aside any portion of the report with which I disagree. It is due to Councillor Moss to say that although he was a member of the committee who drew up the report he concurred in the reasonable request for time, and withdrew from the meeting with myself and Councillors Diver and Maginity. For the present I will only notice one point in the report, and that is that the retrenchment has taken the form of reducing the salaries of the workers of the staff in order to fatten up the salaries of the two principal officials, the Town Clerk and the Engineer. What is beneath the surface is skilfully masked from the common eye ; but it is hinted that certain active-minded members of 4ke Council have already kindly selected the gentlemen who are to fill these offices. We shall see presently how the log is rolled. I am, &e., George Fisher. November 30.

[We insert the above characteristic letter, lest Mr. Fisher should say that we stifled the expression of his opinien. It is unnecessary to say that no sensible person will agree with anything Mr. Fisher has advanced.— Ed, N.Z. Times.] Advertisement. )