AN OVERSEER FOR THE COUNTY.

Shannon News, 17 August 1926, Page 3

AN OVERSEER FOR THE COUNTY.

I TO SURtPERVISE GENERAL AND | HIGHWAYS WORK. APPOINTMENT TO; BE MADE. “After careful consideration, your committee have nO' recommendation to make respecting the appointment of an overseer for main highways work only. Your committee do however, recommend that an overseer be appointed for general County work as directed by the Engineer.” The above recommendation by the Works Committee was the cause of lengthy discussion at Saturday’s meeting of the Horowhenua County Council, resulting in a decision - to appoint an Overseer. Cr. Catley disagreed with the recommendation. “Wiei (don’t * want more supervision,” lie said, “but we do want better supervision.’’ He moved the deletion of the clause. “IN A WHITE SHIRT.”

Or. McLeavey seconded the motion. He could not see \what they wanted a man to travel round and watch people working. Where 8 or 10 men were working together there should be a competent overseer over them. He should have the right to discharge who was not doing his work. “We want good competent working foremen—not a man to walk about in a white shirt,” he added. UNSUPPORTED COMPLAINTS.

The chairman said that in all gangs of any size they had a man in charge. If they had a man competent to go round " and take charge and direct work it would relieve the Engineer of a great amount of detail that he now had to .perform and which pre-, ■vented him carying out other duties. Complaints were continually coming to the Council through councillors and ratepayers that the men were not doing their duty. It was not fair to the men if the people making these statements would not come forward and substantiate them. During the next two years they would have work in progress from one end of the County >to the other. If they had a travelling overseer who could go from one gang to another. Cr. Kilsby: He wants to' be on the iob at half-past seven in the' morning. PIN-PRICKINGS. AND INNUENDOES. The Chairman: What I want to obviate is these continual pin-prickings and innuendoes. If greater efficiency can be brought about by this' appointment we should make it. Personally, continued the chairman, he would defend the present system, but if he could see a better system he would agree to it. The Engineer had to give far too much attention to email details when he might be going into much wider questions. An expenditure of £3OO cr £4OO a. year for an overseer might save the Council thousands. He, had been under the impression that this'-'w.ork-would be part of the duty of the assistani engineer, but he had not been avail-able-because all his time was taken up with surveys. “You say the overseer is going to be a white shirit man,” said the chairman. “Well, I would not have his job h r anything.” BIG WORK AT TE HORD. .Cr. Jensen said the work in the Te Horo district was going to be considerable and he would be quite satisfied if Mr Anderson Avas left there to supervise it. But the o her councillors would not agree to that. They wanted him to be, in their districts. The present was not a practical way of spending thousands and thousands of .pounds. They had found they had to do something to strengthen the office staff during the highways work, but they had done worse than nothing outside, because they had piled job after job upon the Engineer. The speaker’s idea, was that the overseer should assist the Engineer in general work as well as the highwavs scheme.

Gr. Ryder thought that if there was a weak point in. the County ip was in the supervision of the work. They could not expect the Engineer to he everywhere. COMPLAINTS MUST BE BLOCKED. Gr. Catley said that regarding any complaints that had been made to him, lie had told the people plainly that they must back up their statements by appearing before the Walks Committee or by permitting their names to be given, if they were not prepared to do that lie was not .Prepared to take up tlieir complaints. People were afraid, however, to do that, because they might be made. to suffer for it. Cr. Catley remarked that when the councillors wanted to h e carted about, the County they got the assistant engineer and that was not liis work. j , . . The Chairman said that did not alfoct the position at all. Cr. Catley asked wliat the two men on the survey -were doing when the Assistant-Engineer was su engaged. The Engineer: Cutting pegs and other work. PAID BY THE HOUR. Cr Catley: We want some more exacting than we have at present. I often see men near Levin and coming from their work before 5 o’clock. The Chairman: They get paid by the hour. ~ Cr. Catley said he had seen the ment when wtoirking at the Waikawa Bridge going to work at 10 minutes to 8 and coming away at any time from 4.30' to 5 o’clock. The Chairman: If they only work six hours they only get 1 aid for six hours. ~ Cr. Catley said he would like to see the time siieet6. The Engineer said they were available for inspection in the office. Cr. Kilsby ( considered an overseer was badly needed. He vvould have to be abbut at 7.30 and see if wxXrk was being started. If 'the"Council could

not pay a sufficient wage for a man to see that the staff gdt out on the job at the proper time, the councillors should not be where they were f NOT ONE .RATEPAYER, SATISFIED. Cr. McLeavey said it ivas a big question and should not be decided too quickly. He had heard all kinds of rumours and did not- think he had met one satisfied ratepayer in the Wirokino Riding since he had been on the Council. One employee of the. Council told him they knew, the Engineer’s car better than he did himself. ’ (Laughter). The Engineer: No, they don’t. Gr. McLeavey: They look up and gee the Engineer coming and all get down to it. ' But what are they doing be-, fore he comes? I am not- a niggerdriver but I believe in a fair deal. I am game to say ’that this Council is not getting 12s worth for every £1 we' spend. My idea is to put on competent irien ofver the gangs: The Chairman: Are you prepared to make a charge that these men are not competent? Gr. McLeavey. said he was making no charge, but on being pressed by the chairman, he said some of the men were not competent. The Chairman: If a councillor knoAvs of definite cases/ where men are not competent it is his duty to come to the Council and report it. General charges are friot worth a snap. Cr. Barber said there was more trouble in the Wirokino Riding than elseAVhere and yet they could not get the Engineer to come, to the northern end of the County to supervise it. During the recent floods there was a dozen ° complaints in Tokomaru that the speaker held over for 24 hours to give the Engineer a chance to §®t over his troubles in Wirokino. That was not a fair thing. They wanted someone they could send out to the far ends of the: County. Cr. Catley: I suppose it will mean another motor car. The chairman thought a motor cycle would be enough. Cl*. McLeavey: What about an aeroplane? (Laughter). A SURPRISING STATEMENT. The Chairman said he had that day heard the most surprising statement lie had listened to in that Council, namely Cr. McLeavey’s remark that he had not met a satisfied ratepayer in Wirokino. He could only conclude that either Cr. McLeavey was not getting the pulse of the ratepayers or that he was maligning them. Gr. McLeavey also showed inconsistency because when the Council was trying to have a better system than it had at present, he turned round and asked for the deletion of the proposal. So far as other ridings were concerned they appeared to be satisfied. Cr. Catley: Perhaps they are not getting the expenditure there.

THE .STAFF DEFENDED. The Chairman: We are spending as much money in Te Hor.o as in any other riding. We have criticism ta t it is reasonable criticism. We stalled with a green gang of men, but they have done'well. In fairness to at least one foreman in charge-tne foreman in Te Haro—l must say t he had done satisfactory work. to my knowledge these men have no been paid for any work they ha\emiot done. I don’t know of any reason why" things should be so much better there than they are in'Wirokma make this statement as the result of careful observation. There being no further discussion the motion for the appointment of an overseer was passed, Crs. Catley and McLeavey voting against it.