THE BOROUGH ENGINEER

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2194, 25 September 1907, Page 3

THE BOROUGH ENGINEER

PROPOSAL TO DISPENSE WITH HIS SERVICES. NO ACTION TAKEN. At last night’s meeting of the Borough Council tho following jointlysigned letter was read :—“Wo, the undersigned, beg to approach you on the question of taking into consideration the advisability of dispensing with tho services of an engineer and carrying on with a practical overseer, and wo would point out that the Council are now naying £350 for an engineer and £l2O for an assistant, apart from the salary of the overseer, and to our mind the work is not any better carried out—in fact, the roads have not been in such a bad state for years past. Therefore we trust that your Council will give this mattter yonr consideration. (Signed!—E G. A. Reynolds, P. Maher, G. E. Beul. Geo. Howarth. R. Lewis, Ed Handley. J. O’Dowd. G. Henzler, A. Hepburn, J. Eoss, W. Rrown, E Tier. Thos. Boult, T. Edwards, F Corbett, and F. Stafford.” Cr. Sberidan (to the' Engineer): You have not arranged the weather as you ought to have done this winter.

Cr. Bright: I move that the letter lie on the table. Cr. Mann: I second that.

The Mavor: Has anyone any remarks to make?

No immediate reply was forthcoming. but Cr Somervell rose and said that the petition brought an a very serious question. tha + should not be dismissed in such off-hand fashion. He moved as an amendment that a special meeting of the Council be held to consider the whole matter. Cr. Sawyer seconded. The Mavor: Yon mean a committee meeting,' I suppose? Cr. Somervell: Yes. Without further discussion the amendment was put and lost, only the mover and seconder voting for it. The motion was carried. When the letter concerning Stanley road was read, Cr. Sawver took exception to some work authorised there not being done. Cr. Sheridan jumped to his feet with the exclamation that it was painful to him, and he was sure it must be to other Councillors, to hear this , petty criticism every time the Engineer’s name was mentioned. If the Engineer was not doing his duty ia Councillor should bring up the matter. iri some definite way. Cr! Somervell: I for one won’t sit here much longer if works authorised are not carried out.

Cr. Sheridan: It is not always possible to do all the work between one meeting and another. Cr. Sawyer: A couple of days’ work to straighten up the road is not even done. , , , , The Mayor: A couple of days work? Nonsense! , , Cr. Sawyer: The residents asked to have the holes filled up. Cr. Mann: The staff are fully occupied and can’t do everything in a fortnight. The matter then dropped. Just before the Council adjourned, the Engineer asked leave to say a few words concerning what Had passed that evening. It was, he .went on to say, a reflection that his duties were not performed in the manner they should be. He had a perfectly clear conscience as to the way lie had carried out his duties. He had not spared himself in any respect, but nad considered the Council’s interest in every action undertaken. Some of them might liavo thought lie bad not attended to some works with sufficient expedition, butSt must be remembered the staff was limited, material was limited, and there bad been an exceptionally’ bad season to contend with, so lie was not able to carry out some Of the works so quickly as he would like. To bring the matter to bedrock lie wished to say that it the Council bad any idea .that he dub not perform his duties in a satisfactory manner, it was mirely a matter of business between the Council and himself, and there should not bo the slightest hesitation in expressing their opinion on the subject. If the Council did not agree with his methods of carrying on woiks, or if th finances would not permit paying hi salary, it was simply a matter or business, and should be stated m a straightforward, outspoken. manner. Ho had not th© slightest objection to any criticism as far as his work was concerned, because he was perfectly sure he would como out on top. He had already the’ satisfaction of having saved his salary at least one and a-half times over in one single item jio referred to the Roebuck >oa'. bridge. Although he might not bo here to carry , out th- work, he was certain that m the matter of Waihirero alone it would save the Council thousands of pounds. . a mams salary,” ho said, “is not in it compared with these items alone. fhe ' “pill pricks” caused annoyance, and to a certain extent detracted from tho pleasure and interest an officer should have in carrying out his work. Cr. Sheridan, whilst in sympathy with the Engineer’s attitude thought his remarks wore a little uncalled tor, inasmuch as the Council had taken no notice of the petition referred to. The speaker had heard that the petition had been energetically canvassed, and the fact that- it bad only been signed by a dozen persons—who by no stretch of the imagination could be called prominent citizens—showed bow little weight was attacked to it. The paucity of signatures showed clearly that the majority of the people of this town had the greatest confidence in the Engineer, and was a great compliment to him. Cr. Bright said th© recurrence of slight strictures from some of the Council, and the petition, had induced the Engineer to speak. Ho thought Mr. Gibbon had explained in a perfectly manly and straightforward way what he conceived to be lys position with the Council. He could only assure the Engineer, that if at any time he (Cr. Bright) thought it advisable to dispense with his services, or that the salary was more, than the Council could afford for tho work performed, he would then throw aside all considerations of friendship and ■would be one of tho first to say “Our agreement must terminate according to the conditions.” He would look upon it as only right and just to the ratepayers wlxo elected him to watch jjieir interests. Cr. Bright, continu-

ing, hoped thero would bo a cessation of these small annoyances in tho future, and that Councillors would all work together with the Eligineor to advance tho borough, also that should Councillors become convinced Mr. Gibbon was not discharging his duties properly that they would immediately toll him so iu tlio terms one gentleman would uso to another. (Applause.) Cr. Mann spoko in ft similar strain. Personally he did not think tho petition was one that should have been sent in. The Council had not been long elected, and as to teaching them their duties ho did not know that they had done anything allowing room for much criticism silica they had been in office. It was purely tho Council’s function to decido whether or not complaint- against the Engineer was merited, nnd to his mind it certainly was not deserved. (Hoar, hear.) Tho Mayor said ho agreed that Mr. Gibbon had effected a largo saving to the Council over the Roebuck road bridgo. Also if Waihiroro turned out as ho predicted it would bo a great benefit, not only to the Borough but tlie wholo district. It was very annoying to lnivo a letter of this kind put before tho Council. It was n distinct reflection upon the Council, for if the Engineer was not doing his duty the Council was not carrying out its duty iu retaining him. He went on to pay a tribute to tho hard and onerous work porformod by Mr. Gibbon, who had many duties to perform that some of them were not oven aware of. To his view the Engineer would have been wanting in self-respect to remain silent that evening. . Cr. Sawyer again referred to delays in works.

The Mayor said that there was a shnrtago of material. They could not expect every little job done as soon as the Council approved of it. Means, materia,l and staff had to bo considered.

. Cr. Sawyer said that tho Engineer, if otherwise engaged, should entrust tbem to tlio foreman. Cr. Sheridan: We are continually piling work on tho Engincor in asking for estimates and so on. Discussion then ended.