SALARY RATES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24411, 24 September 1940, Page 6

SALARY RATES

POWERS OF ELECTRICITY CONTROLLER REQUEST TO CITY COUNCIL DECISIONS NOT OVER-RIDDEN Exception to a statement made in an editorial in the Daily Times yesterday that the Electricity Controller, Mr F. T. M. Kissell, had intimated his determination to override decisions of municipal authorities and power boards with regard to the payment of their employees was taken by Cr D. C. Cameron, chairman of the Electricity Committee, at the meeting of the City Council last night. He said no attempt had been made by the controller to over-ride any decision of the council; but the Mayor, Mr A. H. Allen, opposed the giving of information to the controller, and expressed the view that there was far too much interference by the Government generally. Exception to Press Statement Cr Cameron, said it was true that a letter had been received from the Electricity Controller asking for particulars of salaries about £4OO in the light of the council's decision to give the 5 per cent, increase in salary to all its employees, whether under awards or not. The Daily Times, in its leading article, however, had said the controller proposed to over-ride the decisions of local authorities. That had not happened so far as the Dunedin City Council was concerned, and there had been no attempt to over-ride any of the council's decisions because the present proposals of the council had not been submitted to the controller, who had always been found to be fair and reasonable. " I am very pleased with the stand taken by the Mayor of Wellington, Mr T. C. A. Hislop," said the Mayor, Mr A. H. Allen. " Shortly after the war broke out the controller asked for particulars of advances we were making in salaries about the £4OO mark. I was against the giving of that information then, and I don't think we should give it now. Too Much Interference "There is far too much interference by the Government in many ways," Mr Allen said. " There is no public undertaking in New Zealand that has been a greater success than Waipori, so why should we be interfered with by Government departments or civil servants intimating what we should pay? I feel exactly as Mr Hislop does." Cr J. W. Munro, M.P.: We have not been interfered with yet, and we will not be. Cr McCrae said the earlier request for information had been made by the controller with the object of securing uniformity throughout New Zealand, and as the Electricity Committee considered the request reasonable it had given the information. There had been no attempt to interfere with the council in any way. Cr W. B. Taverner said the question did not extend beyond the Electricity Committee.