EMOLUMENTS OF OFFICE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20523, 16 April 1932, Page 14

EMOLUMENTS OF OFFICE.

LORD BLEDISLOE'S DESIRE FOR REDUCTION. I LETTER TO .PRIME MINISTER. (FRISS ASSOCIATION T*LI(JKAM.) WELLINGTON. April 15. The Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, has notified the Prime Minister of his desire to have the emoluments of his office reduced, including the earlier reductions, by an aggregate amount of thirty per cent., or expressed alternatively, forty-five per cerd.. of the salary attaching thereto, until such time as the National Budget may bo balanced. Their Excellencies are also agreeable to one of the official residences being closed if it is thought desirable on the grounds of economy. The following letter from his Excellency has been received by tho Prime Minister: "Although I fully realise that actual equality of sacrifice is difficult, if not impossible, of attainment, in this or auy other country by Governmental action, and that the attempt to attain it is apt sometimes to defeat its own ends, I hold strongly the view that wo ought all. whatever be our position in the State, to aim at adequacy of sacrifice if this Dominion is to be restored, without undue delay, to a position of financial equilibrium. This being so, T should be indeed sony if, in the position of his Majesty's representative in New Zealand, I failed to bear my full share in shouldering the burden which is falling now so heavily upon the whole population. and particularly upon the poorest section of it. Previous Offers. "Realising that under the Imperial Statute which constituted the office which I hold, it is not open to the Legislature of the Dominion to reduce its fixed emoluments without the sanction of his Majesty the King, I have, as you are aware, on my own initiative expressed a desire on two previous occasions, the first during your absence at the Imperial Conference in 1930. and subsequently on October nth, 1031, to relinquish to the State 10 per cent, of the total emoluments of my office, aggregating as from November Ist last, 20 per cent., or one-fifth of such emoluments, in an earnest hope that such abatements would ease appreciably the cost to the Treasury of the GovernorGeneral's establishment, and, at the same time compensate for the constitutional privilege of exemption from public burdens attached to my office.

"A specific reference tr this exemption in the Bills before Parliament would not- appear to be strictly necessary, but such a reference not unnaturally evokes critical comment. Such comment 1 frankly welcome so long as the actual position is realised by all the members of the Legislature.

"T had intended, in view of the grave outlook disclosed bv the Finance Minister's recent financial statement, to make some further proposal to yon regarding the emoluments of my office at the time of the introduction of the forthcoming Finance Bill, but under thc> circumstances T think it best to express to you now the wishes of lier Ex eellencv and myself on the. matter. Desire for Deduction. "It is our desire that for so long at least as it is found impossible to balance the Budget of this Dominion there shall be deducted an aggregate sum representing 30 per cent, of the entire statutory emoluments of mv office, or (expressed alternatively) 45 per cent, of tho salary attaching thereto, such deduction to operate as from the beginning of the current financial year. This abatement, which is rendered possible by drawing upon our private resources in England, can at the option of the Government either be specifically provided for by special statutory enactment. submitted to his Majesty th? King for approval, or, following the precedent which T created in April of last year, be effected by a discontinuance of the payment to my credit out of the Treasury of tho amount represented thereby. "In any case, as I have intimated on previous occasions, no deduction in the Governor-General's emoluments now arranged for must be deemed applicable to my successors in the office. Establishment Economies. "It is hardly necessary for me to remind you that extensive economies have aiready been effected in respect of those Government House 'establishment charges which normally fall' on the public purse, and we shall gladly adopt tiny others which, after full investigation, the National 'Expenditure Commis- | sion may suggest in pursuance of my request to this effect made three months ago. If, as I then intimated, it is deemed desirable during the present emergency to close at least one of our official residences, we shall in no way demur to the proposal. "Let ..me add in conclusion that the Government and the country may confidently count upon our cheerful compliance with -any practical suggestions which the Government may make with a view to making our measure of sacrifice during this period of adversity comparable with that of the rest of the community. <' (Signed) BLEDISLOE." 'ip.g,—Except for the addition of £SOO to the Governor-General's allowances made during the war, the emoluments of the office have remained the same for the last 32 years."