FIRE BOARD EMPLOYEES

Taranaki Daily News, 11 June 1931, Page 9

FIRE BOARD EMPLOYEES

WAGES REDUCED FIVE PER CENT.

'UNPLEASANT DUTY TO PERFORM.”

“It’s a thing we don’t like having to do, but we have our unpleasant duty to perform,” said the chairman of the New Plymouth Fire Board (Mr. VV. U Weston) in moving at a meeting of the board last night that the salary of the secretary and the two permanent employees of the board, as well as the honoraria of the superintendent and deputy-superintendent, be reduced by a per cent, as from July 1. Ibis was seconded by Mr. J. Brown and carried, although the members were not unanimously in favour of the motion. The reduction will not apply to the fees paid to voluntary members of the brigade when calls are made on them to attend a fire. When the chairman introduced the matter Messrs. P. L. Bennett and E. J. Carr opposed a reduction on the grounds that the amount saved would be comparatively small, owing to the few people who would be affected, and that the two permanent employees, for instance, were underpaid rather than overpaid. Their work would be increased when the fire alarm system was extended in the near future, and as it was they were on duty for long hours, and received no “overtime” or extra payment when called out at night to attend fires or repair minor faults. The chairman said it had to be taken into account that they were provided with residences and free lighting in addition to'their wages, and were better nir thin many other townspeople and tamer” One’should be thankful to bo in a job at all these days. He agreed that the men concerned were most efii cient and reliable men, but the Government had given a very necessary leqd, it was the board's unpleasan duty to the community to conform with the principle of reduction of expenses. Mr/J. Brown agreed that it was an nnnleasant but necessary task. the “hnunutn said he would propose a reduction of only «« per cent n order not to inflict too much hardship and yet keep to the spirit of the general reduction in costs.