LOCAL OR OUTSIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 March 1941, Page 5

LOCAL OR OUTSIDE

’ APPOINTMENT TO BOROUGH 1 OFFICE STAFF. COUNCILLOR URGES PREFERENCE 1 “What is the reason for taking on a 1 girl from another town?” asked Coun- ' cillor H. E. Gardner at last night’s ' meeting of the Masterton Borough ’ Council, referring to the appointment of a girl from Greytown to the bor- *■ ough gas. office staff. “I always maintain,” said Councillor Gardner, “that 5 local girls should get preference. Is 1 there any special reason why we must 5 select applicant from outside the 1 town?” The Mayor, Mr. T. Jordan: “Applications were invited.” Councillor W. Kemp: “Publicly?” ' The Mayor: “Yes.” Councillor Kemp: “And this was the 1 only one?” 1 The Town Clerk, Mr. G. T. O’Hara Smith, said he received 13 applications ■ for the position. He interviewed four, all of whom had been recommended. He considered the girl selected qualified well above any of the other three. She had been a student at the Greytown High School. “My duty to the council,” said Mr. O'Hara Smith, “is to appoint the person I consider most suitable.” Councillor A. D. Low endorsed the Town Clerk’s remarks, stating that he had discussed the matter with him, and that he had no difficulty in approving the appointment. Councillor Gardner: “I hope in the future the local applicants will receive a fair deal.” The Mayor: “They have received a fair deal.” Councillor G. D. Wilson said he thought the matter should be made clear. If appointments were called for generally it was the council’s duty to make the best appointment. If they wanted to make an appointment locally, let them do so by stipulating that at the time applications were called. The Mayor: “It was the best appointment in the opinion- of the responsible officers.” Councillor Gardner: “It is a most remarkable thing that since I have been on the council no one has been appointed from Masterton. For the past few years the successful applicants ' have all come from outside Masterton.” ( Councillor Low: “That is quite a , sweeping statement to make.” ] I, The Mayor: “We made one appoint- , ment from Masterton tonight to the 1 Park.” ] Councillor J. Ninnes: “Is there some- , thing wrong with our girls?” ' The Mayor: “Not necessarily. They ‘ :have not applied for the position for f some reason or other.” Councillor R. Russell “How many local applications were there?" The Town Clerk said all the other applications were local ones, lie had discussed the matter with the ActingPrincipal of the Wairarapa College in respect to girls from that school and with the Mother Superior regarding girls from the convent. He was perfectly satisfied in his own opinion that he had chosen the right girl.