POLITICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 9274, 21 April 1891, Page 2 (Supplement)

POLITICAL NOTES.

LANDS, SURVEY, HIOCK, AND NATIVE LANDS

As a result of the late Cabinet meetings the Ministers have definitely decided upou carrying into effect still further retrench* meats in connection with tho Lands, Survey, Stock, and Native Lands Depart* mentF. The changes proposed are more or less as follows ;

In tho Stock Department £2500 per annum is to bo saved by the retirement of 10 inspectors and one dork. Tho several districts are to bo enlarged and supervised by the inspectors remaining in the service. The Linda and Survey Departments are to bo amalgamated, and Mr H, J. Id. Eliott, who is at present Under Secretary for Lands and Minos, is to be placed at the head of the Mines department alone, as its Under Secretary, la tho Lands and Survey Departments thirty-three officers are being dispensed with, and twelve, including five chief commissioners of Crown Lands, aro to be transferred to new districts, to bo decided upou later on. The Commissioners referred tn ore Messrs Marchant (Wellington), Humphries (Auckland), Baker (Christchurch), Mueller (Westland), and Spence Invercargill). By these changes the total saving in the two departments is estimated at £6500 per annum. The total savings in salary by the changes wo have mentioned amount to £9OOO per annum, and the sum required for compensation to officers is about £4500. With reference to the Native Lands De* partment the Cabinet decided yesterday to retrench live of the present Judges, the proposed scheme being to divide the North Island into circuits, each of which will bo under the charge of oue of tho Judges remaining in the service. mr elliut’s case. The case of Mr Elliot, bo long Undersecretary for Land*, is thus explained by the Government, The amalgamation of the Lands and Survey Departments having been determined upon, it became evident that the permanent bead of the now department should bo a surveyor ; and accordingly the Surveyor-General, Mr Percy Smith, was placed in that position. Next to him wus Mr Barron, tho Superintendent of Surveys. Naturally ho takes second place in the new department. Mr Elliot, not being a surveyor, was not eligible for either. It became necessary to decide about his position. Mr Elliot, who held Mines as well as Lauds, is entitled to a pension on retirement of £3OO a year. Hud he been retired, soma one would have had to be appointed to the under-Secretaryship of Mines. The salary would have been over £250 a year. That, with Mr Elliot’s retiring pension, would have brought up the cost of the new arrangement to over £550, tho amount of Mr Elliot's present salary. By the rotentionof Mr Elliot, therefore, ua Mining Secretary, an economy is effected, und a good officer kept in the service. THE MODUS OPERAND!. For tho retrenchments generally the Minister for Lauds, we understand, consulted the heads of the Departments, informed them that tho amalgamation bad been determined upon, and requested them to use their knowledge to make tho selections for retrenchment ; informing them that they could do without injustice, the work which in other hands might press upou the wrong people, Tho list of officers to be dispensed with was thus drawn up, submitted to Cabinet, carefully considered there, and approved. ONE EFFECT. Whereas formerly both the Land and Survey Departments each kept its separate books with accountants, staff of clerks, and the rest, in future there will by virtue of the new arrangement bo bub one set between the two. Whenever the Minister wanted to do business he bad to consult first the Under Secretary,then the Chief Surveyor, then both. All this is obviated by the new arrangement, which, daring the short timo it has been at work, has, we learn, already answered all expectations in a remarkable degree. THE FIELD STAFF, There is no reduction in the staff of field surveyors, bo that tho work of the surveys wll not suffer. It will bo benefited, on tho contrary, according to our information, as surveyors are being transferred from districts where there is little work to those in whioh there are arrears. Should the new Lund Bill now under consideration pass, there will be an increase in the number of surveyors ; of that the Minister is positive. BE ORGANISATION. Here is an instance. In tho Invercargill District tho land revenue had fallen considerably. There was a Receiver, whoso duty it was to receive about £17.000. Of this sum £6OOO is paid in two days iu the year hy tho pastoral tenants, who generally pay regularly ; and £SOOO by the deferred payment settlers and other holders, on two other doys; and they do not alwaya pay up. It was thought that tho chief clerk could do all this work, and therefore the Receiver was dispensed with. In some oases, tho Receivers of Goldfields Revenue, and Land Revenue were oeparate ’officers. The Minister found that the cost of collection was 10 per cent, for both departments taken together, a proportion which no private firm would submit to# He therefore amalgamated the offices. STOCK DEPARTMENT. The Financial position is thus put by the Minister. The proceeds of tho special Stock Tax are £17,000, the annual cost of the Stock Department is now, after the late reductions, £27,000 ; tho Consolidated Revenue has to aid the Stock Tux by £IO,OOO o year. The ten Inspectors are to go, because, in the opinion of the department there ore too many of them for the work. It is not desirable, the department holds, to pay Inspectors for doing the work of rabbit agents ; men at 10s a day on temporary service, who examine the rabbit districts and report to the Inspectors. Those agents are not to be done away with ; on the contrary, the Estimates will contain a provision for an increase of their number in the rabbit infested country. GENERAL RESULT. The general result of tho retrenchments in all the Departments, the Government feels, will produce an increase rather than a diminution of efficiency. For years their position in the Service was without any certain regulations about admissions. Tho consequence was that men were admitted very irregularly, and there grow up a system of taking on new men in Departments that were undermanned, instead of transferring officers from those that were overmanned. The necessity for retrenchment compels adjustment. The retrenchment is, as one Minister informed us, the preliminary work which must deal the way for the arrangement and classification under the Civil Service Bill which Ministers are getting drawn up. One effect of the retrenchment, it is added, will be that tho Government will stand by their Estimates in every particular.

FAIR KENT BILL. A public meeting in bunodia petitioned tho Government tho other day to revive the Fair Kent Bill of former years, which applied only to the public estate, extend its application to private holdings. and get it passed through the Legislature. Ministers, wo understand, have not made up their mind on the subject. The matter la under consideration still, as they fool that the grievances complained of oro very real, that they represent a very wretched state of things, and that something ought to ho done to remedy them. FINANCE. The surplus for the past year is expected to bo about £140,000, the expenditure of the year having excoedsd tho January estimates by a larger sum than was anticipated a few weeks ago. The taxation proposals have, we understand, not been before the Cabinet yet; but they will bo formulated by the Treasurer in a few days, and will, therefore, shortly come before tho Cabinet. Xbo success of tho loan conversun was due ohielly, wo understand, to the assistance of tho Bank of England, wh W o directors were very liberal in their views oe tho subject. TUB CROWN LANDS COMMISSIONERS. Ministers think that to change these officers from time to time is as necessary as to change officers of other departments. As for tho work they have to do, they are all surveyors, end can deal with tho work, therefore, of any district. The changes are as follows ;—Mr Humphries goes from Auckland to Invercargill ; Mr .Spenoe, from Invercargill, takes Mr Mueller’s place at Hokitlki, Mr Mueller going to Auckland ; Messrs Baker, of Christchurch, and Marnhant, of Wellington, exchange. NATIVE LANDS COURT. The Judges of the Native Lauds Court

who have received notice to retire from the Service at the end of the present month are —Messrs K. Trimble, \V. G. Mair, J. S, Ciendon, J. A. Wilson, and E. W. Puokey. Tne oryanittation of tho Native Lands Court is to undergo a complete change, extensive n-lono* in the administration being contemplated. Five Judges have been retired, and it ie proposed to place each of the remaining Judges over a district which bo will travel on circuit. By this arrangement it is thought that each Judge will get acquainted with the tribal history and the mamier‘l and customs of the Natives in each particular district, and thus be enabled to secure th« details of cuHOfi more easily and become conversant with the evidence more readily. It is also intended to cut down expenoes by reducing tho number of clerks, interpreters, &c. The name of “judge” ia to be abolished, and the presiding officials are to bo called “ Recorders.” The Native Minister proposes to ask for legislation to empower him, in place of the Chief Judge, to decide where and when the sittings of the Court shall bo hold, and a scheme is being devised to improve the system of rc-hearing. A provision will be made eo that proceedings upon rc-hoaring will be similar to appeals upon law points iu the Supremo Court, and be confined to the particulars upon which the decision of the original judge is challenged.