TRAVELLING EXPENSES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144708, 17 June 1915, Page 4

TRAVELLING EXPENSES.

HOSPITAL BOAT! D INDIGNANT. A long discussion took placo at Wednesday’s meeting of the Taranaki Hos- ■ pital Board regarding the drastic regu--5 lations in regard to payment of travel- » ling expenses to members. The matter 5 was brought up Lv a letter from the J Audit Inspector (-Mr. .1. H. Fowler), ' who returned the vouchers for the past twelve months and asked that itemised » expenditure should he given, together 1 with receipts from all amounts except railway fares and items not exceeding \ ss. The Chairman explained that it was ’ not the auditor himself, but the dopart- ' ment, which made the regulations, and its officers had to sec these were com- ' plied with. He continued that he left t it entirely in the hands of the mom- ) hers as to how they would comply with • the request; he himself was puzzled to know how to advise them. k Mr. Macßeynolds asked if ho hunted up the receipts would the department pay his expenses!'' If they would, he . would do so willingly, but if they would not, then he would refuse to collect ’ them. He said his expenses had been incurred in various places—Eltham, Hawern, Opunake, and so on, and the job of gathering the receipts would be so costly that ho would not do it unless the ,department paid him. Mr. Holcombe said the Education Board had met with the same trouble, and members now bad to produce receipts for vehicle-biro and hotel charges. If a member had no other means of , conveyance, and the trains were unsuitable. he could hire a motor-car if he considered ?t necessary. At the same time, when the members were trying hard to save the board all they could, it was practically an outrage that they should be asked to comply with these regulations. Air. Sykes said the conditions were ' very drastic indeed. He pointed out ; that no commercial traveller was asked : to produce receipts for every little thing. The idea wits absurd. | The Chairman said the auditor him- | self, if he went anywhere, had to produce receipts of his expenditure, I Mr. Maxwell said his trips trom Oaor.ui to attend the meetings cost sometimes £2 ss, and at other times 30s. As a result, both Mr. Macßeynolds and himself had decided to fix the charges at 30s a trip, whilst for the whole period the average cost was much greater than 30s. As to looking up the vouchers, this was an absolute impossibility, and for the reasons he had explained, they would not be able to get them to agree with the accounts put in. At the present time, when the conditions had changed a little, and there was a motor-’bus to New Plymouth, it was just possible, if they were lucky, to do the trip on 30s, or a shilling or two under. It would be j quite impossible to got the receipts j for the past year; many of the molorI car proprietors had, for instance, left !-'tho district. .. The Chairman said ho did not know what they would have to do if the request was' persisted in. Members bad always been very careful in the matter of travelling expenses. The administration of the board’s affairs was very careful, in fact most cautious, perhaps even extending to meanness. The charges were always most reasonable, and the timo devoted by members to tho board’s affairs was all that could be desired. - Mr. Hill - Has tins not all emanated from one district, where tho chairman and secretary abused the privileges extended them ? Members: That is so. Mr. Tate: Are we going to knuckle down to this bit of red tape!*' The charges made by tho members of this board are most reasonable and compare more than favourably with any body in the Dominion. Surely a member elected by the ratepayers is entitled to the 10s 1 charge; more often than not I am out of pocket by the timo I return home. Rather than knucklo down to this request I will resign my position. Mr. -VPAllum: I don’t suppose they think we are hero of onr own free will. Wo were asked by the ratepayers—at least I was personally—and 1 am taking ncy teat here at a great deal of inconvenience. My office, for instance, is closed, and instead of being here, I might bo doisig business. Thus I am losing money in the service of tho board, and if that is any use I will put it as a quid pro quo. We arc practically accused of making money under false pretences, and are treated as any recipient of charitable aid. As Mr. Maxwell had said, it would be impossible to obtain the receipts, and with Air. Tate, he would sooner resign. Mr. Halcombe questioned if Mr. M‘Allnm would not bo within his rights in employing a man to take charge of his office ■while he attended tho board meetings, but it was stated this could not be done. Mr. Macßeynolds said ho would not object to the system in the future, but it was the past that was tho trouble. If, h© said, this year’s expenses proved to be less than last year’s, then ho would pay tho difference. Tho Chairman: What if it is the other side of the ledger? Continuing, he said the requests were certainly most ridiculous. He asked what the members intended to do. A member: Resign in a body and have another election. Others agreed. Mr. Brown said it would be an utter impossibility to collect his receipts. One of the men, for instance, was with tho English army. Mr, M'Allum reiterated that tho board should resign in a body as a protest. H the elections had not already taken place, ho would not accept a seat under the existing conditions, which put tho members in a very undignified position. Mr. Brown moved: That this board regrets that it is impossible, owing to tho lapse of time, to give receipts for tho past year, bat in future, so far ns is reasonably possible, the board will comply with tho requirements. This was seconded by Mr. Macßeynolds. One member remarked that in future it would be found that his travelling expenses, instead of decreasing, would only increase. ' Mr. M'Allum moved tho following amendment; That in tho opinion of this board the attested voucher gives all tho information necessary. 1 Mr. Brown said ho was quite agreeable, if the rest were willing, to let the matter go to court and fight it out. Mr. Hill seconded tho amendment. i On a divison being taken, the amend- * ment was lost by 8 votes to 3, those 1 voting for it being Messrs. M'Allum, * Hill and Tate. 1 The motion was declared carried. *