The Daily telegraph. MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1893. SPOILS TO THE VICTORS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6718, 27 March 1893, Page 2

The Daily telegraph. MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1893. SPOILS TO THE VICTORS.

—*—* Oue article in Saturday'a issue on tho roturn of officers in tho public service who wore dismissed by the present Government between January, 1891, and June 25th, 1892, showed that in the first eighteen months of their entrance to power Ministers discharged and retired no less than 266 Civil aervanta. This made room for a very large amount of patronage, which was freely exercised, for the aotual number of publio servants h.s not been largely reduced. In tho Police Department thirtyseven officers were dismissed, including one first, one second, and three third-olass Inspectors, one Sergeant-Major, and a chief clerk. These eight appointments havo not been refilled. The thirty-seven officers who were discharged were drawing £«303 a I year, and tho salaries paid to reappointed ofiicers amount now to £3531. There is ' therefore a distinot saving, in epite of over £5200 being paid aa compenaation on die- ' mi___i_l. In the place of tbirty-soven there i aw nov, or were last June, twenty-nine ( ofiicers. Mr Seddon, who ia at the head of '.

the Police Department, seems to have gone very thoroughly into tho weeding-out business ; neither age nor le-gth of service was

spared. From First - class Inspector Atchison, at 63 years of age, and after nearly thirty and a-half years' service, down to a district constable whose pay was £30 a year, there was no respect of persons. Third-class constables, some of

wham were under thirty years of ago, were as ruthlessly dismissed as those of over fifty, and as all tbefo wero replaced by men who

aro getting the same rate of pay, it is difficult to refrain from thinking that other

causes besidos negligence, or inefficiency, wore at work to givo billets to men of th? right color. A firs .• class sergeant, 41 year. of ago, who hid been in the service nineteen

years and right month., and whoso pay was £191 12s fid a year, wa 1 * dismissed, and his plao. fiUpd by a man who p*_ts £209 17s Gd As a rule, however, tho pay seems to have been made uniform at £127 los a year, for all classes of constables, unless wo are t-» suppose that all the now appointments have been filled by third-class officers. The Department of Lands and Burvey next cbiims attention. In this thero wero ten dismissals, namely four Receivers of Land Revenue, a Chief Surveyor, two clerks, a road surveyor a draughtsman, and a cadet. Their united salaries amounted to £2710 a year, and in the plaoe of those these ten gentlemen six have been appointed, who aro receiving £1635. But as against this apparent savingcompensation to the tune of £3040 had to be paid to those who were dismissed. The Government Insurance Department got rid of fifteen of its officers, and reappointed none, but it had to pay compensation to tbe amount of £2186. The salaries thus saved totalled £2746, but they included Mr

D'Arcy Irvine's of £655 a yoar, to whom had to bo paid £1040 compensation for loss of office. In the Public Trust Office sevon officers were dismissed, including tho Public Trustee, and his chief clerk. Their united salaries amounted to £2260 a

yoar, and their six successors aro fretting £1000. This shows a saving of £354, but two of the dismissed officers are being paid pensions amounting to £422 a year, and the other five received £860 cash j compensation. In the Public Works Department twenty-eight engineers, draughtsmen, and clerks were sent to the rightabout, and only six re-appointments have been made. The compensation paid was £2062. In the payment of annual salaries the department has effected a big saving, but wo are credibly informed that it has been grievously false economy. In the Mines Department Mr Kirk, museum assistant, was the only ono dismissed after seventeen years in the service. He was getting £210 a year, and he received £296 compensation. His duties are now being performed by other officers. The native schools did not escape attention. Four teachers wero dismissed and replaced by others, a saving being effected of from £550 a year to £395, the compensation paid being £370.

It wiil now, no doubt, interest our readers to learn what the colony has paid in compensation to disi-issed and retired officers, and the annual charge for pensions. The total amount of compensation, omitting odd shillings and peace, that was paid amounted to £30.182, and tho annual pensions with which tho colony has been saddled come to £1250 a yesr. This is a pretty good sum to have to pay for the first eighteen months of office by a raw lot of Ministers. The Liberals had been waiting some years for a chance to kick up {heir heels, and when they got the opportunity they did it, as we have seen, to a nice little tune. Summarising tho figures, tho following table will show what each Department has cost the country in the protended cause of retrench-

mcnt: — Department. Compensation. Pension.. £ £ Police ,. ,, Lands,. lnsurani.3 ,. Public Trust Public Works .. Museum .. .. Native Schools .. Colonial Secretary's.. Land Tax ,, Justice ,. Native Prisons .. ,, Postnl Marine ,. .. Deeds .. .. .. Live Stock .. ,, Defence ,. ,, Customs .. .. 5,2C0 3,040 2,186 8G0 .. 422 2,0G2 296 37G 393 .. 1,076 454 1,476 .. 169 3,455 2,477 756 239 1,519 .. 273 1,675 3,718 .. 2,310 Total .. £30,182 £4,250