BONUS REFUSED

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 58, Issue 4194, 9 June 1939, Page 4

BONUS REFUSED

WORKS FOREMAN’S POSITION. ENGINEER’S RECOMMENDATION REJECTED. The local Borough Council divided, last evening, on a motion to grant a bonus to the works foreman. Mr R. P. Worley, engineer, in his report on the water supply scheme, paid a warm tribute to the work done by Mr R. H. Close, borough works foreman, and suggested that he be paid a bonus of £5O in appreciation. In support of his suggestion Mr Worley said the foreman had had a very good gang of workmen, and the work was well done. Actually the labour cost was £5OO below his flmate. ■ Cr L. S. Armstrong said he 'proposed to ask later for information as to the works foreman’s wages, bonus, or other recompense. He opposed granting a bonus for the water works jobCrs W. J. North and C. J. Spiers said they knew the great amount of work done by the foreman, and thought a bonus had been well earned. Cr Armstrong retorted that Mr Close was not the only man on the job. The engineer was in charge, and the workmen, if anyone, should be given some bonus. Cr A. Rowan agreed that good work had been done, but thought the Council could not afford to give the bonus suggested. A vote of thanks was certainly earned. . The deputy-Mayor (Cr J. C. Montefiore) said that the Council some time ago had considered increasing the foreman’s wages, and it had decided to await the result of the water-pipe work. That had been done very economically and well. Mr Close had worked long hours, and had well earned the bonus. He did not think Cr Armstrong was being fair, unless he could bring forward definite / charges of maladministration. The Council had, for years, the fullest confidence in its works foreman. He would not permit veiled attacks on an officer of the Council. Cr Rowan said he would agree on that score. Cr A. C- Brookes said no bonus had been offered or agreed upon. The foreman was well paid. His work on the water-pipe line demonstrated his efficiency, and if he was not .efficient he should not be employed. Further, the Council had to be very careful of its expenditure. Cr J. Sterritt agreed that Mr Close had done good work, but the Council had been cheese-paring in the preparation of its estimates, and had no funds available. Cr Spiers said the bonus would, or could, be paid out of the water supply loan. That loan had been saved £5OO by Mr Close’s good work, and the bonus of £5O was only a small recompense. Cr Brookes said the foreman was already well paid by comparison with men in similar jobs in other boroughs. Cr Rowan was proceeding to review the situation when the deputyMayor interjected: You don’t take any notice of street talk I Cr Rowan: Well, you do, sir I (Laughter.) The motion in favour of the bonus being granted was lost, the deputyMayor and Crs North and Spiers voting in favour of it and Crs Rowan. Brookes, Armstrong, and Sterritt against it.