SALARY OR BONUS?

Shannon News, 20 October 1925, Page 2

SALARY OR BONUS?

COUNTY COUNCIL ivAij LOADING ■SCHEME. The meeting of the Horowlienua County Council on Saturday terminated with a lengthy and lively discussion on the sueject of tne increase of tile Engineer’s salary in view of the greater responsibility and work required on |lo count oi the loading scheme. The Council had been in commitee before, the meeting considering the matter for some time.

- The chairman (Cr. Monk) moved. ‘That the Engineer's salary be increased by £IOO per annum to take effect from the Ist October, tim-, together with the office salaries, to be reviewed at the end of each financial year. EXT R A I ESP ON SIBI LIT Y The chairman said the matter had been fully discussed in commmee and it was felt that, while this action has been taken in regard to the Engineer, all salaries should be reviewed. The opinion of the Committee was that a good deal of extra responsibility and work had been cast on the Engineer by the Main Highways scheme, and they recognised iliac extra responsibility demanded dial me'officer give greater exertion, vvinle they recognised-tlie Engineer's zeal and ability, they expected that lie on his part would “deliver the goods” so far as the Council was concerned. The scheme- was now in its initial stages and the Engineer would have the assistance of the Works Committee set up that day to Help him. The Council had' felt that some oi the county work had been somewhat neglected while the Engineer had been engaged on this bigger work. When the Assistant-En-gineer was appointed it was thought that he would relieve the Engineer of a, lot of detail work, but the Assist-ant-Engineer had had to give the whole of his time to mam highway work. When the survey was over, flic Assistant would be relieved and the Council hoped that much greater supervision would he possible. The chairman said that when the scheme was taken up they did not realise what the survey involved. He then formally moved the above mot ten. Cr. Catley: You should read the full discussion of the finance meeting and put tiiat on record. me chairman: That is the resolution. You can move an amendment if you like. • CR. CATLEY DISSENTS.

Cr. Catley: I don’t believe in the Star Chamber method of doing public .business. I think the Council has made a mistake in increasing the salary so soon. 1 have always expressed the opinion here that 1 believed inpayment by results, if you had allowed me to move what 1 proposed— The chairman: Excuse me, I did not disallow your motion. You moved your amendment and it was defeated. You can move now if yon like. Cr. Catley said lie would move, “Tiiat provided this highways -scheme was carried out according to specification and to the satisfaction of the Council and Highways Board, the Engineer be given a bonus equal to die amount of salary asked for.” PROPOSAL IMPRACTICABLE, Considerable argument ensued as to tile fate of a proposal in committee. which Cr. Catley contended had been disallowed, but,' the chairman stated that all lie had done was to say that the proposal was impracticable. PAYMENT BY RESULT'S. Cr. Catley said lie would .like to see -one of the first sections ol the highways scheme completed before raising the Engineer's salary. The Council was going on in the dark at present. The chairman: You may be.

CT. Catley: When one section is done and the cost totalled uip, wo will know just where we are, and wall know' better whether the work is within the estimate or not. I do not care w'hat a man gets lor his work if it is worth it. A remark of Cr. Catley’s that, he w'ue “a straight man,” led the chairman to reply that he was not the only straight man. The chairman said he had brought the matter before the committee a month ago and told them exactly what the position was. In committee a motion was moved and an amendment to which there was a further amendment, which was carried. Cr. Catley eouki now move an amendeinent on the lines of his motion, hut to say that the speaker stopped him from moving an amendment in committee was absolutely wrong. Cr. Catley: You stopped me from going further. The chairman: I could not stop you. 1 did not rule your motion out of order. I told you that your -Suggest ton w’as impracticable. Cr. Catley: That is why I stopped.

AMENDMENT LOST. Cr. Catley then moved liis motion for a bonus as an amendment to the chairman’s motion. Cr. Ryder socoiuled the amendment-. What Cr. Catley was driving at was that when a thing was proved, that w'as when they were most willing to pay for it. If the scheme wms successful he w 7 as willing to give the Engineer more than was proposed at present. The amendment was defeated, only the mover and seconder voting for it. The chairman said that the Council did not have to see the scheme completed to know' whether it was being carried out properly or not. Before many months went by, if they used their they would know that." Cr. 'Catley; What about Wellington '

scheme—the estimate was greatly exceeded there. The chairman: Too much notice lias been taken of what lias appeared in tile press in regard to that. A. LACK OF CONFIDENCE. Cr. Catley said that in defence of himself, he had to say that ire had a lack of confidence in the Engineer. A mi oi work bad been held up through the Engineer not attending to it. Matters which should have been settled months ago were still in abeyance. The councillors had to hear tlie brunt of that with the ratepayers because they were supposed to see that the work was carried bill. While they had to take the consequences the Engineer had the Council to, shelter behind. “OLD MEN OF THE SEA.” “I defy anyone to say anything about me—that L have failed to carry out mv responsibilities,” went on Cr. Catley* with considerable warmth. He had no one to shelter behind. He was a man of action, lie declared, and what success he had achieved was due to having some system of carrying out things. “You had a lot of old men of the sea that had been hanging about for five or six years when 1 came back toi the Council.” The chairman: Did yon clear them up. Cr. Catley: I helped to do it.

Cr. Catley mentioned the Aratangam Drain, Buckley Drainage Board, Capper's water race and Mr Bevan’s matters as having been cleared up since be laid been on the Council and said “belting the cat” was no pleasure to him, and he did not want the Engineer to think he had any grudge against him. Nothing would please him better than to know that the Engineer could deserve more. Tlie chairman said Cr. Catley was still -under a misapprehension. He was still ‘of the opinion that he had to. come back to the Council t© clear up a lot of matters. The speaker had worked' with Cr. Catley in Te Horo and never had a belter colleague. He hoped Cr. Catley could say the same of the speaker. Cr. Catley: Yes. I wish I was as well -satisfied now. (Loud laughter and expressions of astonishment from Crs. Broadbelt and Harkness, the other Wirokino councillors). A COUNCILLOR'S-DUTY.

The chairman said lie could nothelp Cr. Catley’s After the work put in on the Council for the past five or six years, lie" did not think any one councillor should come there and say that it. was due to him that matters had 'been cleared up. They appreciated what Cr. Catley had done and what lie had endeavoured to do. But what did any councillor come there for but to work in tlie best interests of the ratepayers and Council. The job the Engineer was doing was worth the money they were paying. If he could not do the work the Council had a duty t/oi perform. Tlie Council was as intelligent, as most Councils and would soon be in a position to, say how the work was being done. .So- far as the holding up of the small things, was concerned, Cr. Catley knew why that was happening. The Engineer had too much to do. The Council had no idea when it took up the main highways scheme that the survey would take so much time. They should really have appointed a surveyor as well as an assistant engineer. They had not grasped what, a big work they were really engaged in. It was going on .very well and the chairman believed it was going to be a big success. He deprecated allusions to one’s personal success. “A SMOKE SCREEN.” Cr. Catley referred to the chairman’s remarks as “a smoke screen of talk to cloud the issue.” The Chairman: Thanks. Any further discussion? Cr. Broadbelt: I feel ready for a “scrap,” but perhaps, the less said the better. (Laughter). The motion increasing the Engineer’s salary was then put and carried, those voting for it being Crs. Monk, Jensen, Broadbelt, Harkness, Bryant, Whyte and Barber and those against Crs. Catlev and Ryder.