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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3560, 6 December 1882, Page 2

Mr G. E. Lee's motion for rescinding the resolutions passed at tbe special meeting of the Borough Council held on September 28th last will come on for discussion this evening. It will be remembered that those resolutions related to the salaries and duties of the officers of tho Corporation. Investigation into the matter, followed by thoughtful consideration of the subject, have shown that, if effect be given to those resolutions, the result will be the reverse of satisfactory. Whether Cr. Lee will be able to secure sufficient support to carry bis motion we are unable to say. Some of the councillors are desirous of giving the resolutions a fair trial—that is to say, they are willing to make a hazardous experiment. If anything goes wrong, if confusion ensues, the officers will be blamed, but the ratepayers will be the sufferers. If everything goes right the officers will get no credit, but glory will descend on the councillors. In any case tbe Corporation will have either no town clerk or no receiver of rates, the duties of the two officers being amalgamated. We presume the Mayor will be expected to do tbe duties that are now performed by the town clerk—to have the Acts and the Bye-laws at bis fingers' end, to receive all comers and answer all questions, and to do the general correspondence of the Corporation. These duties, at all events, will have to be neglected if the town clerk has to be receiver ot rates. We should like to know how much time Mr Parker has at his disposal to attend to anything else but the rate books. To our knowledge he has not a moment to spare. To our mind it is ridiculous to thrust Mr Parker's work on to Captain Bower, and a more unsafe experiment could scarcely be made.