The Daily News. SATURDAY, JUNE 25. THE BOROUGH STAFF.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 127, 26 June 1909, Page 2

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JUNE 25. THE BOROUGH STAFF.

If a few—very few, fortunately—of the members of the Borough Council, have not made of themselves laughing-stocks, then ratepayers and householders are not sueh keen disceniers as we have always believed them to he. A few weeks ago we had occasion to refer to the axegrinding of one or two of the councillors, and it is very evident they are not J going to be turned aside from their object without a struggle. The height of their ambition, the crowning act by which they fondly ho.pe to justify their tenure of office, is to secure the dismissal of the engineer. One of them, indeed, would go further, and make a clearance from the Town Clerk's officethat is, if his street-corner boasts express his conviction. Until he has the hardihood, however, to endeavor to put his ideas into effect at the Council table, we shall postpone affording enlightenment on the reasons actuating him. Meantime we are concerned with the childish attempts being made to discredit the engineer, and to encourage insubordination amongst the staff. At almost every meeting of the present Council there has been wrangling over the engineer and his workmen, and in every ease a small minority of the Coun. fil has made itself ludicrous in. the eyes of the public by championing dissatisfied workmen against .their superior officer. These particular councillors, lending an eagerly sympathetic ear to all the tittle-tattle of insubordinate and discontented members of the staff against the engineer, have been gradually bringing about an intolerable position. The tacit encouragement afford-' ed by these councillors must be held responsible for tike dismissal of members of, the staff,' who evidently believed their insolence and insubordination would be supported byi tthe Council. Fortunately, however, the majority of the Council has the interests of the town at heart, and are not disposed *o encourage a condition of things that could in no business give an equivalent .a work to the cost. The councillors who never lose an opportunity of throwing mud at the engineer, have never yet been able to show that he has failed m "is duty. Had they done so, there might be sonic justilication for thur attitude, which -we can only ascribe to personal animosity. Until such time as it has been shown that the engineer is incompetent, and unable to give the I Council a quid pro quo for its money, we hold, as we have always held, that his authority over the staff must be absolute. The Council, of course, to whom the engineer is responsible, can be trusted to sec that the engineers authority is not unjustly or harshly exercised. We deprecate also the petty attitude adopted by some of the couiicillors with regard to the engineer's estimates and recommendations. While we ourselves cannot endorse the engineer's recommendations with regard to the Powderham street bridge, we Jo so in no spirit of cavil. We have not questioned the correctness of'his estimates, but objected that he has, on the Council's direction, made provision for a work that is too pretentious and costly. Xo one with any knowledge of the existing structure, be he engineer or layman of the most ordinary powers of observation, would hold that it could he efficiently prepared. Yet Cr. Hooker "reckons there is a man on the Council staff who can repair the bridge and make it (it to carry a ton for £IOO, or less!" Another of the malcontents, no doubt, upon whose talebearing Cr Hooker has se t a .premium." Cr. Doekrill uas even more discourteous to the engineer He complained that he had not sufficient information, and thought another engineer should be asked to report! Xow if any member of the Conned should be conversant with the condition of Powderham street bridge it should be Cr. Doekrill, who wliVi Mayor, had the expert opinio,, 'of the ate engineer, .Mr. K. Ilarvey-Cibbon, on the structure, and later the report of the present engineer, who when repairing it, informed Mr. Dockrill's Council "'at it would probably last another eighteen months. Mr. Uockriil's judiiient is generally sound, but it sceina to ns that on any matter affecting the ■<-'<|S'.iccr, he allows himself to be blindill by an unreasonable and unwarrantable prejudice. «-e sincerely hope that , ',"• U ° cl<nl1 ' wbo * Optional knowledge »1 borough matters if turned to account uiyjlit be of the greatest value to the Council, will „se superior to the aiiu.de of a tittle-tattle champion for « I'd. he has lately a partiality. Jl'e present Council shown nseli a very able one, but we believe that were the Mayor to exercise a tinner control over its deliberations, and recalcitrant members, w l, o s e opposition Is one-eyed, to cease playing to he malcontent "gallery," it would soon be rehabilitated in public confidence.