SIR GEORGE GREY AT INTER. CARGILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 204, 1 September 1887, Page 5

SIR GEORGE GREY AT INTER. CARGILL.

The Peculiar Physical Effects

ot Porridge

(by telkgbaph—own cokkebpondent. )

Invekcakgill, this day. In the course of a speech on Tuesday, Sir George Grey scored several, points against the Government,particularly with regard to what he termed the tyrannical conditions of the village settlement scheme, under which settlers could not leave their holdings in search of work, and were in this respect worse off than the Irish peasant who was allowed to go hop-pick-ing and harvesting in England. The following passages dealing with retrenchment fairly brought down the house: •'There is no other petty nation that has so many Ministers as this in proportion to the population and in proportion to magnitude of the House.. Why not reduce their salaries ? The Premier says 'No ;' that what he gets is not enough to pay himself (laughter); not what he ought to have. I was utterly astounded: Seventeen hundred and fifty pounds a year, a furnished house, v: large travelling expense, making up almost the total paid to some of tho Ministers in j England. Some of them receive- £6,000 yearly, but the majority only get about £3,000; that is what the Premier's salary and allowances would very nearly come to, and besides that he has bis practice, and be says that is not sufficient. I was astounded, and whenT found that be stated with just pride that he had come from the poorest part of Scotland (laughter), where they only had wheaten bread perhaps three times in the year (laughter), and consequently as I know must-have lived principally on porridge (laughter). I thought, with a sort of pleasure, that porridge did not agree with some of my own relatives. It seems to fill a man with great aspirations after wealth and honour. (Roars of laughter.) Now, I believe that in "retrenchment you can reduce the number of Ministers, and reduce salaries, and that if you will only.bring up your children on bread and avoid porridge, you will raise a thrifty population."