STAFF DISMISSALS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1933, Page 15

STAFF DISMISSALS

OPOTIKI BOROUGH COUNCIL ONLY OFFICE GIRL LEFT. APPLICATIONS CALLED FOR. • * / DRASTIC CUT IN WAGES. Opotjki, July 4. The services of the staff of the Opotiki Borough Council, with the exception of the office girl, are to be dispensed with and applications will be called for the positions at drastically reduced salaries and wages, following decisions reached at a meeting of the borough council this evening. The employees affected are ■ the town clerk, Mr. C. Fleming, the borough foreman, Mr. J. Talbot, the -traffic inspector, Mr. J. H. Morell, the: lorry and grader driver, Mr. H. Stewart, and 1 the relief works ganger, Mr. W. Payne. The terms of the new appointments provide’ for a salary of £3 a week for the clerk,, a reduction of about £2, a salary of £3 for the foreman, a cut of over £l, and £2 for the traffic inspector, a decrease of over £2. The motion regarding the dismissals and new wages was carried by a majority of two votes, the figures being five in favour and three against. The motion was moved by Mr. A. J. Anderson, seconded by Mr. S. Patterson, and supported by the deputy-mayor, Mr. J. J. Moody, Mr. S. Shalfoon and Mr. E. Webb. Those who voted against it were the Mayor, Mr. G. S. Moody, brother of the deputymayor, Mr. F. J- Short and Mr. J. Main. “TAKE POT LUCK.” It was pointed out by the town clerk that the salary of the office girl after seven years’ service was only 31s a week. “If she were in a business position in similar circumstances she would be getting £2 10s a week,” he said. “This council should be very careful what decisions it makes to-night, said the Mayor when the motion was being discussed. Mr Short said four days would elapse between' the time the clerk left and the new clerk commenced his duties. Mr. Anderson: The office girl could carrv on in the interim. _ The Mayor: Take “pot luck, in. fact. Objection was made by Mr. Main to the town clerk being instructed to resign and he said the clerk would be auitc justified in refusing to resign. “There is no objection to the motion being altered to ‘ask’ the clerk to resign” replied Mr. Anderson. I have> the highest respect for Mr. Fleming both aS a man and a town clerk. CLERK CLAIMS £lOO. “While the council has a perfect right to instruct me in my duties I do not think resigning is one of them, said Mr Fleming. The financial statement showed the borough was in a position to continue paying the present wages, in spite of what Mr. Anderson contended.

The borough finances had not gone back in the past two years and the. amount of outstanding rates was normal. Mr. Fleming presented an account of £lOO, being commission which he said was due to him under an arrangement with a previous council allowing him 3| per cent, commission on the cost of new work supervised by him. “As I am rather hard up at the. moment I would be pleased to receive the council’s cheque for the amount owing,” he said. ■’ “The proceedings are most unbusinesslike,” said Mr. Short. “It would be much fairer to ask the employees to accept reductions in salaries than to dismiss them. After further discussion the motion was carried.