The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Thursday, May 21, 1891. EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 610, 21 May 1891, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Thursday, May 21, 1891. EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY.

Be just and tear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

The amalgamation proposal that has lately been before the public seems to possess an elixir peculiar to itself. It has several times had all the symptoms of an early death, but the soundness of its own constitution enables it to survive all crises. It was thought the County had given the thing a quietus, but from what was said at the last meeting of the Harbor Board it appears that some County Councillors have now a better conception of the scheme than they had when they spoke on the subject. It is a pity that the matter was not fully understood when discussed, but it is more to the credit of Councillors to make an honorable admission and act up it than to carelessly thrust aside the interests of the ratepayers whom they represent. “ Economy with efficiency,” should be the watchword that will give the death-blow to those hoary prejudices that cling to the equally hoary system of creating different offices and running the officials on Chinaman pay when the time conies for cutting down expenses. The ratepayers in the harbor district have been imagining that there was amalgamation in the Borough and Harbor offices, but now it appears that this has to an extent been an illusion. The Secretary and Wharfinger have had little official contact, a great deal of unnecessary and objectionable bookkeeping work has been done, and a credit system has been drifted into in a way that should not be tolerated. This may have been very convenient to some men in business, and they would be content to see it perpetuated : the body of the ratepayers should in self-defence take a different view. By amalgamation of the offices there will be a simplification of work all round, and the various bodies will always be able to pay a salary sufficient to retain the services of a thoroughly competent officer at the head of affairs.

We do not hold with those who say that there is no argument against amalgamation, but the argument is so feeble that it indicates the weakness of the opposition. They have as yet omitted to set out the argument, if so it may be called, which has the strongest weight. It is that there are already so many known and sanguine candidates for the vacant Clerkship, each blessed with a large circle of admiring and confident friends, that they have no desire to see any innovation made. As in any case the majority of applicants and their friends must be disappointed, when vacancies cannot be offered to all candidates, the interests of the body of ratepayers are better placed in the first rank. In the discussion of the matter the ratepayers have had too little consideration, and paltry personal reasons, such as squabbles between the bodies, have been trumped up in opposition. Two local bodies in which little bones of contention often arise are the Hospital Trustees and Charitable Aid Board. One body often holds that some burden should be borne by the other, and what the members do is to discuss the matters in a businesslike and gentlemanly way and decide the points in dispute. It has never yet occurred to any member that because the two bodies sometimes disagree— not squabble—one or other body must get rid of the Secretary who-acts for both, and who has made a special study of all matters pertaining to the offices. No one has yet thought it a matter either for jocularity or horror that he sometimes in one capacity writes letters to himself as'an official in another capacity, and though his advice is always of value to the members of either body he has no other say in the matter. He does not get a large salary for his services, but if the offices were made distinct and the salary or honorarium reduced to half competent men could not be got to accept the positions. The County Council will act for the best interest of the ratepayers in reconsidering the matter. The only real objection that we can see to the scheme at present is that things have been cut too fine. Any of the bodies can get clerks to run the offices at /roo a year, but no one would think for a moment of accepting such offers.