PAYMENT OF MEMBERS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 938, 7 December 1933, Page 3

PAYMENT OF MEMBERS.

Provision in Waimakariri Trust Bill. Provision for payment of allowances to members of the Waimakariri River Trust is contained in the Waimakariri River Improvement Bill which has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Mr *fl. Holland, M.P., one of the members of the trust. At present the chairman and members of the trust receive no allowances for their services apart from the payment of travelling expenses in the case of country members. The Bill provides that the chairman may be paid an allowance not exceeding £IOO a year, and that the other members may each be paid remuneration not exceeding £1 Is a day for every day on which he is engaged on the business of the trust other than attendance at committee meetings, and not exceeding 10s 6d for attendance at committee meetings, with a limit of £l2 12s in any period of twelve months. Another important clause in the Bill provides that the next general election of members of the trust shall be held on the second Wednesday in May, 1935, which is the date of the next county elections, and that subsequent elections shall be held every three years thereafter. According to the present Act the election takes place on the second Wednesday in January in every third year, which is considered to be an inconvenient time owing to it falling in the holiday period. The trust also seeks to have the right to appoint its own chairman. Under the original Act the chairman is appointed by the Minister, but the Bill provides for the deletion of this clause and the substitution of a new clause providing for the election of chairman by the members of the trust. Other clauses in the Bill provide for the vesting of certain lands in the trust and for compensation to persons suffering loss from such vesting.