FAIRLIE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20893, 24 November 1937, Page 4

FAIRLIE

ENGINEER’S SALARY INCREASE EXPLANATION BY CHAIRMAN “As I understand that the action of the Council in raising the salary of the engineer-clerk (Mr D. Jeune) has been criticised by a number of ratepayers, I would be pleased to have an opportunity to make the position quite clear,’’ the chairman of the Mackenzie County Council (Mr W. R. Davison) said to a representative of “The Timaru Herald" yesterday. “In doing so, I would like to mention that members of the Council all have minds of their own, and for that reason, the question of the engineer’s salary, like other matters that come up for decision, was subjected to full consideration. The raising of the salary of the Council’s chief executive officer was more or less a personal matter, and for that reason, the discussion on it was taken in com-

mittee. But, as I believe that ratepayers should always have an opportunity to know the reasons for actions of th? Council, I have decided to put forward an explanation. Before doing so, I might add that the decision was made by six votes to two; Messrs George Murray and J. Allan dissented. "The Mackenzie County is run on a system different from any of our neighbouring counties,” Mr Davison proceeded, "although 19 or 20 counties in New Zealand are under similar control. The chief executive officer of our county acts in a dual capacity, being in charge of administration as well as the engineering department, and his position and his work are of major importance. It is some considerable time since his salary was considered, and it has been due for revision for a number of years. It may be as well to recall that Mr Jeune has been employed by the Council for just on nine years, and that before his appointment the Council called for applications for the position at a salary of £750, rising to £BOO at the end of the first year. It was decided that the County should retain single control, and ultimately Mr Jeune was offered the position at a salary of £5OO a year, with the understanding that it would be increased annually until it reached a sum commensurate with the position. Circumstances and the depression, however, altered that, and the first increment of £5O was only added in recent years."

Change in Conditions In view of the complete change in conditions, Mr Davison continued, and the increased amount of work, both in the administrative and engineering side of all local bodies in the Dominion in the last few years, and in view of the changes in the finance conditions which are obtaining tc-day, the engineer had made the requ that his salary should be i econsidered, and asked for a rise of 30 per cent, and also that the Council should give consideration to the position and decide what was the maximum amount payable, and how long an officer was supposed to serve before he reached th ,t position. The Council had giren the matter very full consideration, and partly ’n view of the fact that two neighbouring counties had recently advertised positions in their engineering departments alone at salaries practically a- large as that received by Mr Jeune, it had felt compelled in justice to the position and the officer concerned, to Increase the salary by at least £lOO a year. The other points raised had not been considered.

“In enlarging upon the position,” Mr Davison said, “it must first of all be remembered that the difference between the amount the Council had been prepared to pay its executive officer and the amount it did pay, resulted in a salary saving of about £3OOO. Further, with the new regulations which were recently put into operetion, the Council can claim engineering fees totalling 3J per cent of the value of all construction work done on highways and with Public Works grants. That means that for the new bridges designed and carried out in this County on the highways, the Council can claim fron. the Main Highways Board 3 J per cent of the vr lue of the work as engineering fees. That, of course, is a very material help to the finances of the County, and offsets considerably the salary now paid to the executive officer.

Saving on Bridge Building “As a further reason,” proceeded Mr Davison, “I might state that under the bridging programme which is now being carried out in the County, all the design work, plans, tracings and necessary prints, are being prepared by our engineer, in addition to his ordinary County work. Should that work have been put In the hands of a consulting engineer, the Council would have had to pay up to 7J per cent of the value. That, on the £lO,OOO portion of the loan, would have amounted to £750. Concrete design is a specialist’s work, and anyone viewing the mass of detail set out in the plans which are now being prepared in the office can realise at once the vast amount of study and thought necessary for the work, and also the intricate knowledge which must bo obtained before such work is taken up. As I said before, all that is done in addition t. ordinary county work, and I invite ratepayers to call at the County office and ask to see the plan work in preparation. The work of our executive officer is no 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, and his worries

and troubles extend to every hour and every day of the week. “I can say without hesitation, that practically no ratepayer has any conception of the amount and the varied nature of the work which to-day has to be carried out by our office. Changes in legislation alone over the last few years make it imperative for a local body officer, if he is to hold his position and compete with outside departments throughout the country, to devote much time to the task of making himself familiar with the requirements of present day regulations. The increased volume, speed and weight of traffic on the road to-day has made the reading problem a new one. The Mackenzie County is to-day having 30,000 yards of metal put oi its roads by the crushing unit alone, and any ratepayer fortunate enough to see the unit working could be nothing but pleased and satisfied with the methods the Council has adopted.”

“Above the Average” Mr Davison added that within the last few years, the County working plant had changed from horses to mechanised units, and figures already produce showed that even with present day Increased costs and more plant, running costs were no more than in the days of the horse units. As he had said before, the amount of wear and tear on the roads, and the necessary maintenance at the present time, was vastly in excess of that whii '. occurred a few years ago. “I will say definitely,” he concluded, “that no one can criticise with any concrete facts either our administration or control in this County. On the contrary, I firmly believe that our administration and engineering control Is very much above the average. When we have an officer who can efficiently and economically control a county such as ours, then I feel that that officer should be paid a salary reasonably warranted by the position.”

PADDOCKS FOR STOCK COUNTY CHAIRMAN’S VIEW With regard to the request made by the Fairlie branch of the Farmers' Union for a stock holding paddock at Crlcklewood, the chairman of the Mackenzie County Council (Mr W. R. Davison) stated in an interview yesterday that he regretted the attitude the branch had taken up. If the Farmers’ Union had only explained the purpose of the request, the Council would have been in a position to give the matter full consideration. As it was, there had been no attempt at evasion, and the branch had merelybeen asked for a fuller explanation. Whether a holding paddock could be granted was doubtful, as the area at Crlcklewood from which a plantation had recently been removed, would have to go back into trees. That was evidently the ground connected with the proposal for a holding paddock. If the Farmers’ Union could show where there was other ground available, the Council would be pleased to consider it.

LAST NIGHT’S SPORTS V. WAUL WINS MILE CYCLE RACE Two novelty events included in the Fairlie Cycle and Athletic Club's weekly sports programme last night, were throwing the cricket ball, and a quarter-mile cycle track race. The attendance of the public was well maintained. The major cycle track race, which was over a distance of one mile, was won by V. Wall. Results.— Quarter Mlle Cycle Track race.— First heat: B. White 70yds 1, H. Holdman 50yds 2, A. Kane 30yds 3. Time, 31 l-ssec. Second heat: R. Hammond 50yds 1, H. Patton 60yds 2, V. Wall 50yds 3. Time, 32 3-ssec. Final: B. White 70yds 1, H. Patton 60yds 2. R. Hammond 50yds 3. Time, 31 2-ssec. One Mile Cycle Track race.—First heat: P. White 260yds 1, V. Wall 60yds 2, E. B. Taylor scr 3. Second heat: R. Hammond 200yds 1, H. Patton 200yds 2, A. Kane 100yds 3. Time, 2mln 22sec. Final: V. Wall 60yds 1, H. Patton 200 yds 2, R. Hammond 200yds 3. Time, 2min 20sec.

100 Yards—First heat: G. Keenan 6yds 1, T. Sadler 14yds 2, V. Dobson 4yds 3. Time, Usee. Second heat: A. Crampton 6yds 1, M. Sim Byds 2, P. Quill 6yds 3. Time, Usee. Final: J. Keenan 6yds 1, A. Crampton 6yds 2, V. Dobson 4yds 3. Time, 10 l-ssec.

220 Yards.—A. Crampton 12yds 1, V. Dobson Byds 2, J. Keenan 9yds 3. Time, 22 l-ssec.

Throwing the Cricket Ball—A. Kane 1, V. Dobson 2, A. Quill 3. Distance, 269 ft 6in.

Women’s 75 Yards: Miss N. Rothay Byds 1, Miss D. Saunders 6yds 2, Miss A. Cooper 2yds 3. School Girls’ 75 Yards—R. Hall 1, E. Rae 2, M. Dixon 3. 440 Yards, boys under 16—L. Rae 1, M. Surridge 2, C. Crampton 3.

Mr E. Cholerton, Optical Specialist, managing director of Procter’s, the Opticians, Christchurch, will be visiting Fairlie. personally, and may be consulted on all defects of eyesight at ■;he Gladstone Hotel, on Tuesday. 16tb November, from 9 a.m. to 4 pan. Appointments can now be made by ringing our local representative. Mr W. A. B. Morton, chemist, 'phone 36D. ....