MAYOR’S HONORARIUM

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18200, 26 February 1929, Page 8

MAYOR’S HONORARIUM

INCREASED TO £250. DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL. The Timaru Borough Council, by on© vote, last night decided to increase the Mayor’s honorarium from £2OO to £250. Tue matter was introduced by the Deputy-Mayor (Councilor A. L. Gee), who said that the subject had been discussed on a previous occa. ion. and had been deferred to fclie February meeting. He asked ll any Councillor had anything to move on tlic matter. Councillor J. Hutchison then moved that the Mayor’* honorarium be increased to £3OO ns from .March. 1929. The motion was seconded by Councillor F. B. Hawkey. Councillor P. B. Foote: “Wo will have a rush of applicants.” Slinking In his motion. Councillor Hutchison said that if they got a Mayor as good as the present Mayor — they did not always see eye to eyo with him—the increase would be fully justified. Councillor Hawkev said that a man with ability wa« worthy of £3OO a vear. He agreed with what Councillor Hutchnjon had said regarding the present Mayor. The Deputy-Mayor pointed out that the honorarium was not a salary. The honorarium was simply for the purpose of helping the Mavor to meet the obligation* which the office entailed. The present Mayor had said that he was really out of pocket in the long run. Councillor G. D. Virtue said that ha would support the motion if the amount was made £250. He had thought for a long time that £2OO was too little, hut he did not agree that £3OO should he given. The mover and seconder of the motion agreed to make the amount £250

Councillor Foote said that they should corridor what the Borough could afford to grant for the meeting of the obligations of the office. That should be the basis of the discussion. Tn his opinion he considered that no Mayor should spend more than the Council allowed him. The offices of Councillor or Mayor were purely honorary, nnj it was absurd to suggest that an honorarium was a salary. Councillor H. A. Tnnes- Jones said that he had discussed the matter with ex-Mayors, and every one of them had told him that they had been out of pocket. He did not think that a Mayor should he called on to pay more than the Council allowed him. Councillor P. C. Vinnell said that substantially lie agreed with Councillor Foote.

The motion was carried by six votes to five, the voting being:—For: Councillors Innes-Jones. Virtue, Kennedy, Hawkey, Hutchison. and Hart. Against : The Deputy-Mayor (Councillor Gee), and Councillors Satterthw’aite, Thompson. Foote, and Vinnell.