THE COUNTY ENGINEER

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10693, 14 August 1912, Page 5

THE COUNTY ENGINEER

AND A MOTOR CAR

AN IMPORTANT PROPOSAL

At the meeting of the Mastertbn County Council yesterday, the report of the sub-committee set up to consider the question of procuring a motor car for the use of the engineer was read. The sub-committee recommended that a motor car be procured, and suggested the purchase of a two-seater "Ford" car. It also recommended; that the salary of the enfiineed bo fixed at £3OO.

Cr Kebbell moved the adoption of the report, and Cr Beetham seconded.

Cr Foreman moved as an amendment that the report be referred back to the sub-committee, with a recom-, mendation that it consider the question of dispensing with the services of the engineer. Cr Foreman complained of the condition of the County roads in various parts.

Cr Percy second the amendment. Cr Miller did not think the Council should be bound down to purchase any particular car. Cr Murray, speaking to the amendment stated that the engineer had been very much overworked in recent years. The. Government grants were now expended -largely by the Council, there were extra plans to prepare, and the responsibilities of the engineer were constantly increasing. Cr Murray expressed the opinion that Mr McLac'h'an bad been run off his. legs. The suggestion that a motor car bo procured was merely to relieve the engineer of some of his responsibilities. Cr Murray thmight it very unfair to an old servant that the amendment should have been proposed. Cr Cameron thought that the purchase of a motor car would lie entirely in the interests of the ratepayers. Tho dlub-committeo had gone thoroughly into the matter. Cr Kebbell expressed surprise and disgust at the amendment having been proposed. He conld not, he said, find words to express his feelings in the matter. The engineer had done excellent service for the Council. He had spent the best of his days in the work of the Council. Cr Kebbell thought it disgraceful that at this time an amendment such as that before tho Council should have been proposed. The only bright spot about it was that it had been proposed by a comparatively new member of the Council.

Cr Boetham-endorsed the remarks of Cr Kebbell. He .had found the engineer a very useful and industrious man. He had a large section of road under his control, and had worked very long hours. Cr Beethnm suggested that the engineer he given a little more freedom of action than he possessed at present. Cr Foreman, in reply, stated that he had no personal antagonism to the engineer. He was influenced purely by considerations for the interests of the ratepayers. He claimed that the roads near the, town had been disgracefully neglected. Cr Percy said be had no personal spite against Mr McLachlan. He merely seconded the amendment in the interests of the ratepayers. He believed that if the vote of the ratepayers was taken, it would endorse the amendment. The chairman did not think that either Cr Foreman or Cr Percy had any personal antagonism to the engineer. They had thought that probably the Council could do better with an overseer alone, as other Councils had done. He (the chairman) was largely in sympathy with the movers of the" amendment. He did not think, that, with the present system, the engineer could do justice to the roads. That was why he had suggested the purchasing of a motor car. Or Murray said the chairman had put quite a different construction on the matter. If Cr Foreman had moved that the report be referred back, with a view to discussing the question of doing without the services of an engineer, there would not have been any exception taken. What he (Cr Murray) objected to was the reference to the work done by the engineer. The amendment was then put and lost on the voices, the mover and seconder alone voting for it.

The motion was carried on the voices, the description of the car to be purchased being eliminated. It was subsequently decided, on the motion of Cr Cameron, that the engineer be asked to submit proposals for the improvement of the .system under which the engineering work is being done.