The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. MONDAY, JUNE 20, 1887.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 144, 20 June 1887, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

MONDAY, JUNE 20, 1887.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For tho wrong that needs resistance, Tor the future in the distance, And the good that -we can do.

The enthusiasm which is attending the Jubilee rejoicings throughout England and Scotland, and the cordiality with which the celebration is being taken up by the vast majority of colonists, are a protest from the Empire against the plots and intrigues that are reported to be on foot against the life of the Sovereign. Under the free representative constitution of Great Britain, .there ought to be no room for the devilish doctrines of dynamite. The Crown has much less personal authority than the President of the United States • the people are paramount. X vote of the people at the last general election would have given Ireland Home Rule; another vote might give her complete separation. The Queen could neither hasten nor delay that consummation. The scalawags who are preaching assassination may and are delaying the triumph of . the reform which they blatantly profess to champion. But for their misdeeds, which have warped the .judgment of the people of Great Britain and set John Bull's back up, Home Eule for Ireland would be nearer attainment today; It only needs a few more devilish acts to ruin a noble cause, and make many of its present most earnest sympathisers doubt whether the experiment would' be a safe one. What is refused to the constitutional appeal of Ireland's representatives will, we feel confident, never be yielded to Irish-American terrorism. The curse of- the,whole thing is that people will not discriminate between the constitutional agitator and the scoundrels who are trading on the cause, and it is the undisguised policy of the "Times" and other opponents of popular government in Ireland to confound the two classes for the. purpose .of bringing the whole movement into disrepute. For the present these malevolent tactics have succeeded to a very great; extent, but time will bring about juster views. That popular, rulers are no more secure against the deadly hate of the assassin than the autocrat of Russia we know. The deaths' of Lincoln and Garfield proclaim that trufch only too mournfully.' Great eminence- exposes, ata. possessor to the animosity as well -as the admiration vi

the crowd, and Her Majesty the Qaeen during her fifty years' reign, has more than once narrowly escaped the penalty of her exalted station.

A cordial participation In Jubilee rejoicings and admiration of the good qualities of Queen Victoria in no sense commit the participator either to a theoretical approval of the monarchical form of Government or a defence of the extravagance which are attached to that office in England. The head of the British Empire, whether Queen or President, has an undeniable claim to the loyalty and respect of the people, and when it is considered a national advantage to change the system, we hope that whoever may stand hereafter at the head.of the empire will discharge his public and private duties as worthily as the illustrious lady whom we honour to-day has done.

A good deal of the adverse feeling against the Crown is produced by the notorious costliness of the Koyal family. The system is unquestionably an' expensive one, although there are mitigating circumstances which are not generally given their due weight. The civil list charges on the Consolidated Fund for the Sovereign amount to about £400,000 a year, the chief items being Her Majesty's privy purse, £60,000: household (salaries, &c), £131,260; expenses of Her Majesty's household, £172,500 ; Eoyal Bounty, &c, £13,200; pensions granted by Her Majesty, £24,072. In addition to these sums, however, there is the cost of maintaining the royal palaces, steam yachts, and travelling expenses, which bring up the total to about a year. Although Her Majesty actually administers none of these large sums, except the Privy Purse of £60,000, it has been estimated that more than £50,000 a year has been saved to the Privy Purse by economy in the administration of the household. Out of moneys so acquired the Queen has grown personally wealthy. She purchased Claremont for and Balmoral is also her private property. The chief grievance with the nation has been providing for the Queen's children from the consolidated revenue. It has been contended—and riglitly contended—that the Queen, like other prudent parents, should have been compelled to make provision for her own family. As it is, the further payments on account of the Eoyal Family bring up the total to 6 a year, as follows:— ,' . •

. It is estimated in'the Financial Keform Almanac that, the cost of the Koyal family since Queen Victoria came to the throne has been £23,210 5 000. This is the black side of tlie picture; but there is another which presents these expenditures in a less unfavourable light. The sovereign is entitled to certain hereditary . revemies of the Crown, and by bargain with the nation these are surrendered by each occupier of the throne. "By prudent management these hereditary revenues have grown very much in value. The value of the Crown revenues surrendered George TV;, was and the1 average for King William's short reign was ayear,so thatthenationwas a decided gainer by taking over these hereditary revenues, and guaranteeing the expenses of the household even upon the present extravagant scale. Then the nation gains through,the possession of a hereditary monarchy by the avoidance .of the enormous cost of periodical elections -and the s hereditary .head of the State can be relegated to a place in'-the government that no popularly-elected ruler 1 would submit to. Under the American constitution the President directs the policy of the country with the ' help of such advisers as he may please to call to his aid. The question is too largje to be discussed' here. That sweeping changes favourable to the nation might be made in; the cost"of monarchy is undeniably true, that the monarchy itself may yet be changed is also true, but while it lasts, and : especially. so. long as it is represented by so worthy a woman as Queen Victoria the most, Radical subject of the Empire, without compromising his principles or his dignity, may throw up his hat ahd: shout " God save the Queen." ,J ? :

Her Majesty the Queen ... ...£560,203 The Prince and Princess of Wales 118,110 Prince Alfred ... ... .« 28,302 Prince Arthur ... , ... ... ... 29,000 Princess Royal ... '■! ...':■... 8 040 Princess Helena ... ...;■... 6,000 Princess Louise ... ... , .... 6,000 Duchess of Albany ... .... ;. ... 6,000 Duchess of Cambridge ... ~. 6,000 Princess Augusta ... ... 3 3 080 Duke of Cambridge .... ' ''.. ... 20,862 Princess Mary... ... ... 5,000 Prince Edward (of Saxe-Weimar) ' 4,384 Prince Leningen ... ... 593 Prince Victor of Hohenlohe ... 1,860 Households of deceased sovereigns 4,881 Total ... ... .... £808,316