25 YEARS’ SERVICE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 53, Issue 32520, 22 December 1944, Page 5

25 YEARS’ SERVICE

OHINEMURI COUNTY CLERK

WORK OF MR A. JENKINSON

appreciation of councillors

A quarter of a century’s Service with the Ohinemuri County Council was rescognised at the December meeting of the council, when the county clerk, Mr A. A. Jenkinson, was felicitated on his long association with the county s office staff. For the past 12 years JUr Jenkinson has served as clerk to the council, and for 13 years prior to that period he was assistant clerk, having entered the council’s employ on December 1, 1919.

.The chairman, Cr. T. A. Barrett, said Mr Jenkinson had had a long and successful tenure of office with the council, and was 1 deserving of the thanks and appreciation of members and of th'e ratepayers for his faithful and capable service. A local Government auditor had told him (the chairman) that he would like to send some other clerks to the Ohinemuri county office for a while to study Mt Jenkinson’s system of book-keeping and preparing balance sheets. Pleasure To Work With Him

■ Cr. F. L. Franklin added his tribute to the clerk’s capable and long-contin-ued service with the council and wished him continued health and success in his office.

Cr. G. A. Avery spoke in similar .strain, as also did Cr. R. W. Lowry, who said it had 'been a pleasure to be associated with Mr Jenkinson, and that the council was lucky, to have such an 'efficient clerk. Cr. S. H. Thompson said they were very fortunate in their office staff, including the county clerk. Cr. F. Thorp endorsed the remarks •of previous speakers. The only danger to the council, he jocularly remarked, was that Mr Jenkinson had become so efficient that he might be allured to some other county' office with an offer of a salary of £lOOOl a year. (Laughter.) Cr. E. L. Yearbury said Mr Jenkinson must have been a boy /of considerable ability to have entered the council office so young, and to maintain'his clerical position in the face of the criticism and occasional abuse directed at public servants. (Laughter and applause.) He hoped Mr Jenkinson would enjoy his next 25 years of office as clerk, helped by the experience of the past 25 years of capable and faithful service. 20 Years Together The county engineer, Mr L. E. Shaw, desired to be associated with the tributes to the clerk. He said he himself had been only 20 years in the council’s employ, but if all county •engineers and clerks got on so well together as had been The case with Mr Jenkinson and himself, the relations of office staffs would indeed be amicable and harmonious. The Ohinemuri' County clerk and himself had never had a cross word during their association and had worked together in the closest co-operation. As to standing up to criticism, Mr Jenkinson had known better than that; he had passed on the criticism to the engineer. '(Laughter.) Acknowledging the remarks made, the clerk said he sincerely thanked the various speakers for their kind reference to himself and his' work. Ho might say that he had never been absent from a council meeting during the whole of his 12 years as county clerk, nor had a meeting ever had to ibe postponed on his account. He had 'been associated during his clerkship' with from 40 to 45 councillors and with no fewer than seven chairmen. Of the councillors with whom he had started none were here now. He had served the second longest term of any official who had been in the council’s employ, the longest being that served by the late Mr Evans, with 36 years as clerk. Had Done His Best His term with the council, Mr Jenkinson concluded, had been a very happy one, and he could claim that he had been conscientious in his work and had given of his best to the service of the council. As to the next 25 years, he was diffident in expressing any opinion. A good deal would depend on future possibilities with regard to local body , superannuation schemes. ' .. '

He desired once again to thank councillors and the engineer for their kind l remarks andi to express his sincere appreciation of all the help and co-operation he had received. If he had had any measure of success in his clerkship he owed much of it to the help he 1 had received from others of the office staff and their harmonious

relations had been to him a source of great pleasure and satisfaction. He desired to express to all councillors and their families and to the staffs, his wishes 1 ' that they might have a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. (Applause.)'