HARBOUR BOARDS' ASSOCIATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 36, 11 August 1905, Page 5

HARBOUR BOARDS' ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. The Harbours'-- Association resumed itd # sitting at" the Chamber of Commerce* this morning. SUPERANNUATION. The Executive recommended that tho draft Bill entitled "The Harbours Superannuation Fund Act, 1905," as submitted to Harbour Boards, be adopted, and that Government be requested to introduce it in£> Parliament during the present sessior and support it. The Bill proposes to set up a Trust Board, to be elected by all Harbour Boards, in December of each year, to administer the funds, which shall consist of. — Contributions by all persons under the age of sixty years permanently employed by any Harbour Board, aa provided by this Act ; contributions and levies from Harbour Boards, as provided by this Act; interest and profits from time to time accruing from the investment of the funds; any other sums of money received by tho Trustl Board. The scales of contributions fixed by the schedules shall remain in force until the 31st March, 1911. The scales may, after that date, be modified for a period of five years by the Trust Board by regulations approved by the Governoo in Council, and may be subsequently modified in a similar manner at and after the expiration of every succeeding period of five years. Provided that in any such modilication the contributions of the Harboui Boards shall be not. less than the contributions made by the permanent employees ; and, further, that, if there should be any increase made in the rates, the future contributions of permanent employees then contributing shall be correspondingly increased, buti such future increase shall not exceed 25 per centum additional to the contri« butions set out in the schedules. With respect to persons who are firsft permanently employed by any Harboui' Board on or after the Ist April, 1906, it shall be a condition of their employe ment that they shall contribute to tha fund. Such contributions shall be deducted by the Board at each pay-day. Every Harbour Board shall, contribute sums in respect of each permanent employee, not less than the amount contributed by the employee. All contributions payable by any Harbour Board to the Trust Board shall be deemed a debt due, and may be sued for. The Board shall pay in respect to every permanent employee who attains the age of sixty years" one or moro pension units, according to the number contributed for, . for a period of five years from age sixty if he shall so long live. In the event of his death before the expiration of such period the Trusfc Board shall continue to pay the units of pension until the expiration of tho period. Provided that the Trust Board may at its discretion decide to pay tha then present value of the pension. In tht> event of a permanent employee living beyond the period of five years, the Trust Board shall pay during the remainder of life one or more units of pension, according to the number contributed for. if a permanent employed die before attaining 60 years, the total amount /of his contributions shall be returned to his representatives; but without interest; if he retires before reaching 60, he can withdraw his contributions ; or he may continue ' to pay his contributions to the Trusfc t Boards increased by 5 per cent., and' at the age draw the "pension for five years; but the Harbour -Board by which lie was employed shall not be called upon to pay any contribution in respect oi such employee after the date he ceases in^nis employ; if the employee default* in the payment of such contributions, the amount contributed, less the 5 per cent, additional, shall be repaid him;, an employee may remain in the servica of a Harbour Board after attaining tha age of 60, the Act is not to apply to permanent employeea over the age oi' 60; or to any person over 60 entering a Harbour Board's employ. The pension is fixed on the following scale:— Where the pay is £78 per annum, £26 pension ; 6alary £78 but not ex c&eding £156, pension £52 ; salary £156 but not exceeding £234, pension £78 ; salary £231, pension £104; salary £312> pension £130 ; salary £390, pension £156 ; salary £468, ' pension £182; salary £546, pension £208 ; salary £624, pension £234 ; salary £702, pension £260; salary £780, pension £286 ; salary £858, pension £312. The contributions are fixed on tbb fol. lowing sfcale, the Boards in each instance, contributing corresponding sums: — Age nearest birthday at date of taking up "units" in the scheme — 15, 16s 3d per an» num; 16, 17s; 17, 18s; 18, 19s; 19, £1 0s Id , 20, £1 Is 2d , 2i, £1 2s 9d ; 22, £1 3s lOd ; 23, £1 ss ; 24, £1 6s 7d ; 25, £1. 8s 2d ; 26, £1 10s ; 27, £1 12s 6d ; 28, £1 13s 7d; 29, £1 15s 9d; 30, £1 18b 6d - ;- 31 £2 Is ; 32, £2 3s 6d ; 33, £2 6s .7d ; 34, £2 9s lOd ; 35, £2 13s Id ; 36, £2 17s ; 37 £3 Is 3d ; 38, £5 6s Id; 39, £3 11s; 40 £3 17s ; 41, £4 3s 6d ; 42, £4 10s 6d :' 43, £4 18s 7d ; 44, £5 8s ; 45, £5 18s 8d t 46, £6 10s 7d ; 47, £7 4s 8d ; 48, £8 Is. sd; 49, £9 Is; 50, £10 5s 4d; 51, £11 14s , 52, £13 lls ; 53, £15 18s 6d ; 54, £19 is lid ; 55, £23 lls ; 56, £30 5s Id ; 67, £41 9s 6d ; 58, £63 i9s , 59, £131 8s 6d. Permanent employees in the services of Harbour Boards on Ist April 1906, between the ages of 50 and 60 years, and the Boards in whose hcrvices they are, shall contribute as if the ages of the employees were 50 years. The Association went into Committee to discuss the Bill. On resuming, it was reported thai tho following motion had been carried : — "That this' Conference approve of tho creation of a Superannuation Fluid, and that tho Bill prepared by the Executive be referred to a committee, with powci amend tho samo and report to tha 'various Boards, and that the committeo obtain from the Actuary {if possible supported by the Government Actuary) a statement as to the difficulties raisca during the discussion on the Bill, and forward such a statement to the various Boards." ELECTION BY FRANCHISE. •The question whether election of mem bers of Harbour Boards should bo by f ranchiso came up again in the form of tho following motion by Mr. "Witty {Lyttelton Board) : — "That this meeting is oi opinion that members of .Harbour Ijoardsi should be elected by ratopaTers in counties, and from a municipal franchise roll in boroughs and cities, all ex ofiicio and! na^aatcd members to be done away with, fexcept thoso nominated by tho Govomor-in-Conncil." Mr. E. G. Allen approved of the motion, excepting the latter portion. A radical change was necessary— -(hear, near)— and he thought this motion filled the bill. Mr. Vigor Brown (Napier) thought that the Government had always nominated good men to tho Boards, and ho agreed with the latter portion of tho motion. Mr. W. T. Jennings (Waitara) urged that whore there were no rating powers held by Boards this motion should not apply. This radical change was not wanted. Mr. M'Lellan (Wellington) asked, with such wide representation as Wellington had, how would it be possible to holt} an election? It could not be done,vifnO'

Board's district embraced Wairarapa and up to Palmerston. Mr. Ferguson (Wellington) pointed nut tho difhculties that would meet tho Wellington Board. One of its members was elected by eight counties and four boroughs. Hpw was it possible to iold such an election? It could not be done on the county election-day, and also the cost of an election would be enormous. If the motion was carried the class of ''representative at present constituting Boutcls would deteriorate. Agitators anxious to get into public life, and having no commercial experience, would be returned. He agreed that where there was taxation there should be representation. Tho present system had worked very well all over the colony. Mr. Buddo (Lyttelton) did not think there would be any trouble at all about the elections; and he was quite sure the class of men returned would be the same as now. Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) said that this difficulty had arisen through there being two class of Boards in the colony — one with taxing powers and one without. He moved an amendment"That the last words of the motion, •with the exception of those nominated by the Government,' so far as they applied to Boards levying their own rates, Jbe eliminated." 1 Tho amendment was accepted by Mr. Witty, but on being put was lost on the voices. Mr. A. E. Jull (Napio'r Board)— " That similar provision bo made in the Harbours Act as is contained_ in section 68 of tho Municipal Corporations Act, 1900, in respect to members voting on matters in which they have a personal interest." Carried. Dunedin proposed : — "That the Local Bodies' Leases Bill, as introduced by tho Hon. Sir J. G. Ward, and now before Parliament, be taken into consideration by this Conference." A ' discussion ensued, and concluded with the following motion, moved by Mr. Stephens, seconded by Mr. Ferguson, and carried : — "That a provision be inserted in tho Local Bodies' Leases Bill to the effect that it shall not apply to any local authority until so applied by a proclamation by the Governor-in-CouncU mads at the request .of the local authority, and that in the meantime tho Acts affecting such local authority remain in force, and that the Bill be referred to tho Executive, with power to suggest other necessary amendments." Power was given to the Executivo to confirm the minutes of Conference, and the proceedings closed with a vote of thanks to the Chairman for the able manner in which he had conducted the business.