Directors on the BC Ferry Authority board paid themselves $250 per minute at a four-minute meeting in 2004, MLA Gary Coons told the Legislature last week.The meeting took only four minutes because the only item of business was to set the date for their annual general meeting, he said.Mr. Coons, the NDP's critic for BC Ferries, also said the directors paid themselves large stipends for other short meetings. Most recently, they received $750 each for a 20-minute phone meeting in February of this year."Taxpayers and ferry users are shelling out thousands of dollars while fares keep going up," he said. "Under this government's watch, the BC Ferry Services board has increased from eight to 16 members. Directors' pay has shot up 140 percent, from $20,000 to $48,000 per year, and their stipends have shot up to $1,500 from $1,000 per meeting.Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon responded that the directors attended another meeting along with the four-minute meeting and were not paid a separate stipend for that. He also said that he thinks the recent pay increase was inappropriate, but would not be interfering in the day-to-day oversight of BC Ferries.