LYTTELTON NEWS

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24366, 19 September 1944, Page 3

LYTTELTON NEWS

PERSONAL The Acting-Town Clerk, Mr J. Thompson, has been appointed to represent the Lyttelton Borough Council at, the annual conference of the Municipal Association, to be held in Wellington. Electricity Department Allegations of laxness in the Municipal Electrical Department in regard to complaints received after working hours and severe criticism of certain members of the staff were made at the meeting of the Borough Council last night. A -resident of Sumner road wrote that the electric power at his house failed on a recent Friday at 5.30 p.m. On the Saturday he had approached members of the staff, including the borough engineer and the inspector, asking that the faulr be repaired, also the Mayor, whom he had approached repeatedly, but could get nothing done until the Monday morning. He demanded that a fuU inquiry be made into the matter. ' . "I am sorry that a letter of this sort should have to come before any local body.” said th. Mayor (Mr W. T. Lester). "Evidently we have no control over our staff. The time has come when we must take this matter up, and take it up seriously. The allegations made by the writer, of this letter are perfectly true. We must decide quickly what action we must take. Both bosses say it was not their job. I hold the borough engineer responsible. Are the members of this staff going to tell us what to do? No other borough in 'New Zealand would stand for this. Cr. D. G. Miller said he had been told that the inspector would not attend to complaints after hours. What was the position? " - Cr. R E. Cairns (chairman of the electricity committee) said that the inspector would turn out for faults in the reticulation but not for house complaints. “The fault lies entirely with the previous council," said Cr. Cairns. “I asked them time after time to' consider an increase in the payment of overtime, but without result.” He said that electricians were very hard to obtain The council had, for some reason, kept Its electricians on the bare award wage They were the only employees of the council .who did not receive above the award raie. The inspector was not paid for overtime. Cr. W. T. Foster said that one of the staff would not work overtime because increased earnings would Interfere with his child allowance. Cr. G. Briggs said that a salaried man was paid to give service and he should give that service. The council had no trouble with the heads of other. departments. On the motion of Cr. Miller, seconded by Cr. H. A. Fletcher, the council decided that the borough engineer be instructed to interview members of the staff and inform them that the council expected service and that some member be on call for complaints, also, that unless the council could get service, some action would have to be taken. Charteris Bay Golf Club A sealed holes match played by the Charteris Bay Ladies’ Golf Club for the Ayers Vase was won by Miss J. K. Mahar.