THE BOROUGH STAFF.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13171, 3 September 1913, Page 7

THE BOROUGH STAFF.

APPLYING THE PRUNING KNIFE,

SOME BREEZY INTERLUDES

What was perhaps the breeziest meeting of the present Borough Council since its election m April last, took place last night when various matters relating to the . Borough staff were brought up by some Councillors, and the resultant discussion was a lively one.

Cr J. Brown set tho ball rolling by asking who was at present m charge of the mechanical department of the Borough Council. He urged that there should be a skilled mechanic at the head of the department. He wanted' to know if anybody was now m charge of the mechanical department, and if he was competent to look after it. Their skilled and trained engineer had been dispensed with, and there was a great difference between a competent mechanical engineer and an engine-driver. Cr Brown gave instances of things that had happened through work being done without the supervision of a skilled man. The Mayor said the mechanical engineer had tendered his resignation. Cr Brown : The minutes say he was dispensed with. I was not at last meeting, so I cannot say whether that it correct.

The Mayor said the matter was discussed m committee, and whether the mechanical engineer got to know anything, he did not know, but he tendered his resignation. The man who was now m charge was the Borough Engineer. Cr Brown said he would have something further to say on the matter later.

Cr Collins asked if the matter was to be taken m committee at a later stage. Tlie Mayor said it would be.. Or Brown said he thought it should be dealt with m open Council.

Cr Collins said he did not intend that it should be taken m committee.

The Mayor said his only reason 'for taking the matter m committee was for the sake of the men concerned.

Cr Collins was proceeding to refer to the matter when the Mayor asked what motion he was talking to. Cr Collins : I am talking to this report. The portion of the Engineer's report stating that three hands from the mechanical department were being dispensed with.

The Mayor : But what is your motion ? Cr Collins : No motion is required. But if you want one 1 will move a motion.

The Mayor: Very well; get along. Or Collins: Then why a«sk for a motion ?

Ihe Mayor: Enlightenment. I mieht say here, Cr Collins, since you raise the subject m open Council, that you have attended no committee meetings, and I think you have been absent for the last tirree meetings. Now you come here to upset what has been carried by the majority of the Council. Or Collins challenged the statement, and the Town Clerk was asked to look up the minutes. Thes^ showed that Or Collins had been absent from two meetings and attended towards the close of the third.

The Mayor: You were here for five minutes at that meeting. Or Collins : I was here longer. I was here for 25 minutes exactly. Tlie Mayor: Only five minutes. After further argument on the point Cr Collins said he only wished to say that ho thought the executive officer was using the pruning knife too freely. The rertiar lcabie feature was that the reductions wore being made by an officer who was only recently appointed, and who was omy a temporary office* himself. At a later stage Or Collins returned to tho subject, and asked what further contemplated changes were likely to take place amongst the permanent officers of the Borough. The Mayor: I _ would like to know from you which, of the permanent officers have been dispensed •jvith. Or Collins: Was not Mr EVindeu on the permanent staff?

Tlie Mayor : No. The Town Clerk : He waa paid by the hour.

Cr Collins waa proceeding to question the Town Clerk, when the Mayor said he had no right to put such questions to the Town Clerk. He said he had a report on the matter. Evinden had been employed, by the hour ever since he had been m the Borough employ. Or Collins: He has been m the Borough employ for four years. The Mayor: I don't know wliat you ara coming to, but if Evinden was dispensed with, it was because there was no work for him to do.

Cr Collins: I am only asking a question;

The Mayor : Well, what is the question? . . ■

Cr Collins : What is the contemplated change m the Borough staff who have been working for the Council for some years past?

, The Mayor : I will tell you what is contemplated. If there is no work for a man to do, whether he is a permanent or' temporary hand, his services will be dispensed with.

Or Collins said it appeared that the permanent staff had no tenure of offioe, as was a reoognised rule for permanent employees. They were liable to be dismissed m five minutes.

The Mayor said the men who had been dispensed with had been given the greatest consideration, and where possible it was endeavored to place them m other positions. Cr Collips said he understood the Council left the re-organisation of the staff m the Mayor's hands, and he certainly took a considerable amount of trouble m organising the staff. When he gave the Council a full report they were, satisfied with that. Now they found, when they appointed a tem!>orary officer that the pruning knife lad not been applied half enough, and weelk by week they found people being dispensed with. He feared they were sending away men who would be wanted very soon. The pruning knife was being allowed to be used too freely. Some of the members of the staff were being threatened with reduction m salary.

The Mayor .- Who are you referring to! Cr Collins said he understood the borough 'overseer was threatened with reduction m salary.

( The Mayor and Or Collins had an argument aa to the term of the word "permanent." Tlie Mayor said they had no member on the staff who was entitled to more than a month's notice. Or Bright: What is before the meeting? The Mayor : I'm blessed if I know. Or Collins : The question of the staff. Cr Bright: I am asking the Mayor, not you, Cr Collins. The Mayor said he ' did not ktnow wliat was before the meeting. The matter of reduction had been considered before by the Council, and for one man on the Council to get up and object was all very nice. The burgesses might just as well know at once that if there was no work for a man, that man was not going to be kept on. If they wished to pa-is a vote oi censure on the Council they could oome there and do it. He had just aa big a heart as anybody for these men, not only for the men's sake, but also for those who might be dependent on them. They endeavored to treat them as kindly as possible. A man who was entitled to an hour's notice was given a week, and they tried to get him another position. Hardly a man who had been dispensed with was out of work now. He waa not taking the credit for what had been done, and he was not going to be discredited. The suggestions were placed before the Council and passed. "I had an inventory taken recently," proceeded the Mayor, '"and the Council would be surprised to hear of the amount of money laad out m stock and plant that is lying idle. He Baid he did not wish to blame tho past administration but he wao there to niake things better if possible. Regarding Mr Darton, he had not been retrenched. Mr Darton had been treated mercifully by the Council. He got £5 a week, and during the time he was laid up he got half his salary, and he contended ho should be paid full M>J«y- . . Mr Sherratt: What, while laid up? The Mayor: Yes. He said it was suggested to the Council, and the Council agreed m committee that the position of road overseer should be a position held by a man getting 12s a day. They did not want to say anything about Mr Darton at all. It waa the

position they were, making, not. tlie man. It was considered unnecessary to have two engineers m this borough, one at the rate of £500 a year, and another at £250. , In view of the very heavy payments they had to make because of what had happened m the past, their revenue was going to be depleted, and while they were not going to do anything that was hurtful to anybody, it was absolutely essential that they should give up the idea that that was a charitable aid board. He had seen Mr Darton, who said he was entitled to his full salary. He put the question to him that he was qualified for another position, and he said he could get another job to-morrow. The Mayor told him if he could get another position he need not consider the Council at all, but he could go at any time. It was not a question of salary, but position. During the time they had neither a road overseer nor an engineer the roads were never better looked after.

Or Collins said they had to thank the weather for the condition of the roads. He said he had never seen a more extravagant waste of money m the Council as there had been m the class of metal being placed on the roads, and which m wet weather was converted into mud. The Mayor said the policy being pursued was confirmed by the Council. The roads were m a better condition, whether it was the weather or anything else, and that was due largely to the work of Mr Petersen, and he was not earning £6 12s a week. Cr Smith said as one of the Councillors who attended all meetings and considered the various resolutions, he would like to say something on the matter. The Mayor put the pruning knife where he thought necessary, but when they appointed a practical man and he saw that men were not required and could be dispensed with, was it not the duty of the Council to see that those men were dispensed with? Of course it was. The Council was not going to pay wages when men were not required. If the engineer saw fit to dispense with men, no matter what position they held, then he was entitled to do so. If there was anything to complain of, it should be done at the end of the engineer's term. All t the talk- now could not alter the position, for the Council had decided. The only one who did not hgree was, perhaps, Cr Hill. (Cr Hill : Heax, hear.) There were some things that should be taken m committee for the sake of the men. It did not matter if a man had been 20 years m the Council's employ, if he was not required then he should be dispensed with. The Council had no permanent employees. Cr Bright said he endorsed everything Cr Smithy had said. The Council was a business institution, and should be run as such. He thought the Mayor, by allowing such discussion without a definite resolution, waa only storing up trouble for himself.

The discussion then dropped. Or Brown tabled the following noticeof motion : "That this Council, at its next meeting, takes into consideration the advisability of reducing the office clerical staff, so as to bring the staff into line with the reductions m general staff." "The staffs m the other departments are to be reduced," said Or Brown, "so I don't see why the clerical staff should not be." '