IN THE FACE OF DEMOCRACY.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20919, 28 July 1933, Page 10

IN THE FACE OF DEMOCRACY.

PRIVILEGE OP COUNCIL WORKERS. MR H. D. ACLAND ATTACKS HIGH WAGE RATES. "Privilege is always unpopular in a democratic community, and sooner or later democracy destroys it in no uncertain manner," declared Mr H. D. Acland last night, attacking in his presidential address before the Citizens* Association the privilege of high wages which the Christchurch City Council had persistently maintained for its employees and relief workers. "In May last the Mayor's party boasted that they had carried out their pledge to reduce rates," Mr Acland began. "This appears to have been done by appropriating various reserves and not by a genuine balance of receipts over expenditure out of income received during the year. As a result of the Mayor's policy, Christchurch, citizens have the privilege of paying not only their own unemployment charges, but also of subsidising the Government funds of the whole Dominion, and in particular | the ratepayers of Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin. Unemployment Loans. "This is because the relief workers have' received a higher daily wage than that laid down by the Unemployment Board. Unfortunately, this has not been of much benefit to them, as they have had to pay the unemployment charge on the whole of their meagre income, and the Unemployment Board is getting more than £2OOO per annum, first from the relief workers and ultimately from the 26,000 ratepayers of Christchurch." The Mayor's party had been responsible for loading the ratepayers over a term of years with unemployment loans amounting to about £75,000 without the ratepayers having an opportunity of voting upon the question of the loans. Mr Acland felt sure that ratepayers would be glad that the legislation under which this system of high finance and mortgaging the future was allowed was now coming to an end. As a result of the additional rates incurred the council had been faced this year with an increase in the rates or a raid upon the Municipal Electricity Department's funds. It had by the casting vote of the Mayor and on a minority opinion of the council decided to take £15,000 for the general fund, and this had been done on the vote of Crs. E. R. McCombs and G. T. Thurston, who spoke against the motion, but voted for it. It appeared that the matter was not finally disposed of in view of the notice of motion given by Cr. H. T. J. Thacker to rescind the decision of last Tuesday. "A Privileged Class." "I would again remind members," said Mr Acland, "that the Mayor and his followers, by continuing to pay a rate of wages to regular employees in excess of the average of other workers in similar employment, has established a privileged class in the city. These additional wages have to be found by 26,000 ratepayers, whose incomes in most cases are less than the wages received by the council employees. In addition to the money wages received there are other advantages such as no lost time for wet weather, annual leave on full pay, superannuation, and sick pay. "I feel that sooner or later the individual council workers who are now benefiting will suffer when the electors realise that these employees have received something not shared by the ordinary men. Privilege is always unpopular in a democratic community, and sooner or later democracy destroys it in no uncertain manner." The fact that rates to the extent of £20,000 were outstanding, he concluded, was itself evidence of the inability of a very large number of poor ratepayers to meet their rate demands, and it was clear that many of these rates would have ultimately to be remitted.