RETRENCHMENT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7825, 18 August 1887, Page 2

RETRENCHMENT.

Sir,— l take it that it is the determination of the bulk of the people of this colony that a general reduction of public expenditure shall ho demanded by our, representatives in the next Parliament, whether Stout or Atkinson is at the helm. The following seem to be pretty well agreed upon as desirable for' reduction, viz. : — The next Governor's salary and expenses ; Ministers' salaries, the number of Ministers being also reduced ; honorarium of members of both Houses j the number of Civil servants to be reduced, and those employed to do very much more work like other gentlemen in oliico work ; State education. The wiping out of the Native Department is also essential. I imagine that very many of us do not aare twopence whether it is Atkinson or Stout who guides the vessel of the State (tbeir promises hitherto seem equally trust-, worthy) ; but we do wish to spend within our income and not outside it, and that without further taxation. Now, it seems to me that it is not enough for would-be members to promise retrenchment vaguely, we want to know how much aud in what directions. Twopenny half-penny reductions won't do now. It is not a matter of "hundreds" of pounds sterling, but " hundreds of thousands," so we may follow (lie old adage of " cutting our coat according to our cloth," and doing like any honest and upright merchant in large business would <10. Ido not advocate the cutting down the salaries of the lesser servants t>i the State who do most of the hard work for not too much remuneration ; but many of those useless creatures who dawdle into their ottices at 10 or 11 o'clock, do next to nothing till 3 or 4, and then gracefully retire to their otiitm cum digiu'tate which they need so much after their labors. We out here are very few in number. Comparatively we are like n large family. "Well, sir, when a family who are honest find they are living at a rate very much beyond their means, what do they do ! Why, they look around them ; they lop off here, aud draw in there ; they cut off extravagances and luxuries that they cannot allbrd, and so work round to the right thing again. Why should we ape the extravagant expenditure of States, to which we might bo compared as "the frog to the bull?" One of our extravagances for which we are unable to pay is the present system of State education. What right have we to be sending little children of iive years to school ? The people here cannot afford to keep "State nurseries." The little ones would be better, physically, away. Again, I think a child who has" been taught up to the fourth standard lias received all he or she can rightly ask of the State, Sir Robert Stout notwithstanding. We cannot allbrd to go further with our limited means, and it strikes me, when I read the cost per head in other countries, that there is shameful extravagance somewhere iv our own. In the face of the columns ot writing by Mr Sidey, I would do away with the high schools altogether, except they were supported entirely by those who use them. 'I hey are not for the children of the poor, of whom I am one; it is utter nonsense to say they are. Again, why is religion to lie excluded from our State schools ? Why are 90 per cent, of Christian people to be over-ridden by 10 per cent, orlessof atheists who do not believe in the Supreme Being ? lam a churchman, but I would say to all who differ from me, Roman Catholics included, let us put aside our differences, and have our common Christianity the ground-work of instruction in our State schools. I would like all to read carefully the burning words ot Mr Hawkins, the candidate who addressed the Masterton electors. I hope Mr Orniond will be able, when addressing the electors, to state some approximate to the amount of retrenchment he will originate or support. Ministers, whether Stout or Atkinson, do not seem to realise what depression means to those who pay their big salaries. Some time ago, when conversing with one of the old professional men of this colony, he said to me, speaking of (lie cost of being governed, that in nib opinion, " if the two Houses of our legislature did not meet for five years, and consequently did not pass a single Act for that time, the colony would sutler no loss, and certainly would save greatly in expenditure.'" I am very much inclined to agree with him. Let every elector vote for the man who can bo trusted to carry out his promises when in the House, and let us all keep clear of the " shams." " A tree is known by its fruit. '' — I am, £c, Working Man.