REDUCING EXPENSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9097, 4 July 1888, Page 5

REDUCING EXPENSES.

INTERVIEW WITH THE PREMIER.

THE CABINET AND RETRENCH-

MENT.

[by telegraph.—SPEClAL correspondent.] Wellington, Tuesday. This afternoon Messrs. Goldie, Hobbs, and Withy had a further interview with the Premier, to ascertain the result of the deliberations of the Cabinet with regard to the retrenchment proposals. Mr. Monk was unavoidably absent. The Premier said the Cabinet had duly considered the matter, and though they did not consider that the proposals made could be carried out in their entirety, they were willing to do their best to carry out a resolution of the House to this effect: — "That in the opinion of the House the Government should if possible, during the recess, further reduce the Civil Service and departmental expenditure by £100,000 per annum," and would accord such a resolution Ministerial support on its being brought on in the House. At the same time,he thought there should be no hurry in forcing thequestion,butthatitshouldbedeliberately gone about, and thoroughly discussed, so as to carry the Legislature with it. He pointed out that, in the event of such a resolution being defeated, it would weaken the hands of the Government in dealing with further retrenchment during the recess, as it would indicate that the House was averse to further retrenchment. The retrenchment party are becoming much more satisfied with the Premier's tone and bearing, and feel that he is beginning to grasp the situation, and coming into " sympathetic accord" with their views.

Later.

I understand that the retrenchment party have selected Mr. Withy to move the retrenchment resolution. I have already telegraphed that one of the suggestions of the party was that reductions to the extent of £700 might bo made in the legislative expenditure by abolishing the paid offices of Chairman of Committees in both Houses, and that members filling that position should simply have their honorarium, and that the office should be filled in turn by members, selected on a rota. It is argued that it would be an educational training for members, and cause them to take a more intelligent interest in the whole proceedings of the House, and lead to the exercise of that public spirit which has been so painfully absent whenever chairmen of certain sessional committees had to be paid for rendering certain services to the country. The contention of the reform party is that such posts should be posts of honour, coveted by the best men in the House, and not regarded- as mercenary prizes. Sir George Grey tonight alluded to this reform also, and I have reason to believe that, while the Premier is opposed to general dealing with statutory officers, he is not unfavourable to this particular reform as suggested to him and brought under his consideration. In all probability a Bill with this object in view will be brought in next session, but of course it would not affect the rights of the present Chairmen of Committees. In Committee of Supply Sir Maurice O'Rorke made a strong protest against the officers of the House coming under the control of the Executive. It was an infringement of the privileges of the House, of which he was guardian. For the first time in the history of the colony the Executive, thecreatures of a day, made and unmade by the will of the House, had dealt in the Estimates with the. salaries of certain Parliamentary officers. He referred during his speech, in an explanatory way to his appointment of the present Sergeant-at-Arms, and of his son as Parliamentary reader. The speech caused quite a sensation in the House, owing to the deep feeling under which Sir Maurice O'Rorke was labouring, and the emphatic language used by him regarding the action of the Executive, and what he termed aspersions upon himself. As an illustration of the waste still going on, and the opportunities still afforded for retrenchment, Mr. Hutchison pointed out in his speech on Mr. Monk's amendment, that 1375 copies were printed of all Government papers. Even Mr. Joshua Jones' letter to the Native Minister was reprinted to that extent, and the 40 tons of waste paper sold by the Government Printer to the paper mills during the year at 50s per ton, must have cost the colony at least £250 per ton. He also pointed out the undue facilities to litigation in three sessions of the Supreme Court being held at Gisborne, and the Chief Justice being dragged from Wellington at considerable expense to try one case.