LUCKY ROBINSON.

NZ Truth, Issue 245, 5 March 1910, Page 4

LUCKY ROBINSON.

PARLIAMENT PUB PERKS. Boss Barman's Boons. How the Peopled Money is Squandered. A fortunate iadividnsl-iii many respects is Mr Ohartes Robinson, omcer-io-caarge of parliamentary buildings at Wellington. He is fortunate as regards both salary and perquisites, and, m these days of curtailment and retrenchment, it does seem a little disproportionate when we find an official such as he, drawing an .altogether excessive salary, being quietly granted an additional bonus of £190 for ju> conceivable reason whatever. Mr Robinson was for maxry years a steward on the Government boat, a position allotted to him by the late "King Dick." He subsequently blossomed • forth' practically as chief steward ol "Bellamy's" with the euphonious title already set forth. His present salary is £425 per annum, m addition to which he has a Sree house allowed him. His emoluments 'last session of Parliament included, as previously stated, a "bonus" of £100, and "Truth" is constrained to pause and ask -what does he do to entitle him to such exceptional treatment ? After all, "Bellamy's" is oaly equal to a particularly small and quiet hotel, or, at the most, to a very exclusive and .mniaturc club, the business of which is confined to the sessions of Parliament .01%. Keen the staff, which is permanentily retained during recess, is out of all .proportion ' to the work actually required. There are two barmen and two waiters or pantoyinen, wrtti wages ranging from 10s to lls per diem, whose duties seem to. be pjorteiy nominal m recess, or, if the truthmust be told without disguise, to consist m waiting upon ''Charlie, though goodness only knows what he has to do out of session. The outside grounds also appear to be over-manned,, and there seems no necessity for as many as six watchmen to be engaged, two for day duty, and four for night duty, turn about. The' inside staff ineiudes four watchmen, some of whom are paid as highly as 10s 6d per diem. AH these men are responsible to Mr Robinson, who, m turn, is responsible, during the session only, to the Speaker. Out of the session he would appear to be absolute "boss cocky," Hw house is maintained, kept m order, and gaily titivated with floral decora &on&, all at public expense. Is it any wonder that we prefaced these remarks with the observation that Mr Robinson iH m many respects a fortunate individual ? A significant fact is that, while "Bellamy's" is not a self-supporting institution, the expenses necessary to ba met for its maintenance receive little or no opposition from. Members of Parliament, and a "bonus" of £100 to this already overpaid supervisor is authorised "without a munmir of dissent. Why is this "> A casual visitor of merely ordinary powers of observation would never for a moment take Mr Robinson to be a paid official ; to Cabinet Ministers and to many of tbo members ho is "Charlie," while he reciprocates the familiarity, and it is & nightly occurrence for him to be closeted m his little sanctum with quite a coterie of parliamentary friends partaking of a friendly glass. Who pays, "Trutbi 1 does not know. Suffice it, that "Bellamy's" does I not • return a profit, as any ordinarily conducted bar invariably does. These are ; things the public should know, but they arc not likely to learn them from Members of Parliament, whose book it does I not suit to expose the abuses ; mean- [ while, "Champagne ©h*tU«" scores I