The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. Motto: Public service. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1920. PALSE CLEVEDON RUMOUR.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 587, 26 November 1920, Page 2

The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. Motto: Public service. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1920. PALSE CLEVEDON RUMOUR.

It has come to our knowledge that ] there has been a false report circu- | lated in Clevedon to the effect that the chairman of the Manukau County j Council has been drawing an honorarium of £2OO a year, and that this was recently increased by another £SO at a council meeting held on the 9th inst. This rumour is entirely incorrect, as no honorarium has even been previously paid by this council. Both the former chairman, Mr. H. R. Mackenzie, and also Mr. A. D. Bell refused to accept any money in payment of their services. However, the council decided it was only right th; t the chairman should be remunerated to some extent for his services, and i the £SO paid this month is the first land only payment made in this respect by the Manukau County Council. It is recognised that very often a competent but possibly not wealthy man may be appointed to the chair, and it is not fair to expect him to devote a great deal of his time and services to the council without some financial recognition of some sort. The council's view of the position was pointed out to Mr. Bell, and he accepted the money in this light. On the last annual balance-sheet there appears an item, £72 3s, "chairm-m -j allowance," but this money was really expended in taking the to Taranaki to see the tarred rpads and to gain some idea of the up-to-date read-making methods in vogue down there. The chairman of the Franklin County Council draws £IOO a year, and we feel sure that no ratepayer who understands what travelling expenses a chairman has to foot, the deputationising he has to do in Wellington and elsewhere, the loss of his own time and the neglect of his own private affairs that the chairman has to stand is under the impression that he gets anything out of it ultimately; as a matter ,of fact he is considerably out of pocket \v the end of the year. Now, if the ordinary members of the Franklin County Council think that their chairman is entitled to £IOO a year, it may be taken for granted that the Chairman of the Manukau Council is not going to be "passing rich" on £SO a year. There arc few newspapers that aie .more outspoken and condemnatory J than the "Times'' is where there are good grounds for believing that ,i member of a local body is getting any undue emoluments out of his position, but we are equally emphatic that each should have his due. A: the best, a man who serves the public usually gets more kicks than kindnesses, «nd it certainly is not just that he should suffer financially into Ihe bad bargain. But the position becomes intolerable when a man is accused of receiving a much higher remuneration than he is actually in receipt of. And in regard to the rumour we refer to, the authors must b a particularly ill-informed as to the Inws governing such matters: £IOO is the limit allowed by Statute for the annual payment to a county chairman for his services. Having exposed th< utter falsity of the rumour, we hope that we shall hear no more of it, and that the perpetrators will now Jiide their diminished and either il!ir formed or dishonest heads.