RETRENCHMENT WITH A VENGEANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1861, 22 July 1887, Page 14

RETRENCHMENT WITH A VENGEANCE.

How the Government Reduce ExpenditurefWhat Our Wellington Correspondent Has

to Say on Government Retrenchment.

Several curious stories have reached me (telegraphs our Wellington correspondent on the 15th) showing the peculiar manner in which the Government carry out their alleged retrenchment. In one case a young man was dismissed from ,a certain department and received retiring com-, pensation of about ' £150. Subsequently he applied to be reinstated, and I am informed that his application was granted, and that .tie has been allowed to retain the compensation paid him on account of dismissal. Much talk has jflso been occasioned by the publication of a statement by an officer discharged on the score of economy from the Native department. He says that although he had been 24 years in the service he was dismissed, , ai^d that immediately two extra clerks were taken on professedly for temporary work. He assents that since he left, in addition to these two persons three others have been taken on, so that the matter stands thus : An old officer is dispensed with, thus saving £300 per annum, which fact is telegraphed from one end of the colony to the other, and five others taken on (which 'is not telegraphed) whose aggregate salaries amount to £874 per annum. These salaries are paid out of a sum of £7000 per annum. The civil list (Native purposes), which amount is voted in a lump, is scarcely known to members, and .is in addition to the ordinary Native vote. It is a choice lifctle nestegg, out of which bonuses to a chosen few and suchlike curious payments are made after it has been decided in Cabinet that no increases in salaries are to be given to officers. It is pointed out that Mr Bryce had so far cut down the Native expenditure, in addition to greatly reducing the Native estimates* that when he left office there was a sum of about £2000 to the credit 6i this civil list fund, and if he had remained in power another year this £7000 civil list would have covered the whole expenditure and there would have been no Native vote ; but now all Mr Bryce's savings have been expended and the civil list vote extended by about £2000. In 1870, during the late Sir Donald M'Lean's so-called extravagant time, when the Native Office was really necessary, and considerably more important work was done than at the present, the total cost of the head office in Wellington was £1165 per annum, and four officials did the work. Sir Donald considered that in 10 years from this time (1870) there would be no need of the Native Office at all ; but instead of this, at the present moment the cost of the head office in salaries is at the rate of £3090 per annum, and 14 officials are employed, exclusive of a very large amount drawn as travelling allowance by one or two of these officials. The following detailed statement is appended: — During the years 1869-70 the Native expenditure was about £50,000 per annum and there were 46 officers under the control of the department, and the head office, Wellington, cost £1165 per annum ; but now, while the total expenditure is less than half and the number of officers in out districts, including Native assessors, &c., are reduced to one-third, the cost of the head office is increased to £3089 per annum, as the following comparison shows :—ln: — In 1869-70 the head office consisted of four officials : H. Halse (under-secretary), £500 ; T. Young (interpreter), £265 ; S. Vickers (record clerk), £250; Maitai Te Tina (clerk), £150;— total, £1165 per annum. At thepresenttimethefollowing are employed : — T. W. Lewis (under-secre-tary), £700 ; J. W. Morpeth (chief clerk), £4oo; E. Davies (interpreter), £350 ; H. Sim (clerk), £120; E.Welch, £100; T.Pori, £80; D. Gage, £70; E. Pratt, £70; P. Sheridan, £325 (taken on during the last nine months) ; .W. Barclay, £250; T. O'Callaghan, £156 ; O. Silcox, £156; M. Macalister, £156; Anderson, £156;— total, £3059 per annum.

The Other Side of the Question— Hon. Mr

Reynolds and Hon. Mr Ballance in Heply.

Sir, — Noticing a special telegram m your Saturday's issue headed " How retrenchment is effected," and feeling confident that your correspondent must have been misinformed, I wired for particulars, and have received the enclosed telegrams, which you are at liberty to publish. Whatever sias the Government may have to auswer for, I am nofc disposed to allow statements contrary to facts made against it to remain uncontradicted. — I am, &c, July 18 William H. R

Reynolds.

[1] Wellington, July 17. Hon. Mr Reynolds, Dunedin.

The letter you refer to is a tissue of misrepresentations. The M'Lean period with which comparison is made shows a suppression of a number of salaries, and excludes enormous sub-departments scattered over the North Island doing the work now centred in Wellington. Since the present Ministry came into office there is £2000 medical assistance and charitable aid, formerly on annual appropriations, now charged to civil list. Pour clerks and interpreters in the head office are being trained and about to be attached to the commissioner under the vote taken for the Native Land Administration Act, leaving the office with less assistance than for a long time. Though there is at present a rush of Native Land Court business, the total expenditure of the civil list and appropriation combined is much, less than in previous years. The Financial Statement showed, without taking into account Fox's vote, that the appropriation was £3000 less than the previous year. I shall send you later the quarter's expenditure, showing we have kept well within the vote. In fact I have ascertained that the expenditure on the civil list for Native and Land Court appropriation will be actually £6000 less than the expenditure last year on the same purpose through the changes made in getting rid of useless and highlypaid officers and reducing travelling expenses, &c. The principal reason given by us for getting rid of the officer who supplied the information was that he was comparatively useless. I have always compared favourably in Native expenditure, including civil list, with that of predecessors. 4U this is capable of verification, and you can make fullest use. — J. Balance. [23 Hon. W. H. Reynolds, Dunedia. The following returns have been furnished, showing the appropriation for the following period of the civil list for the Native department; — Native Land Court (exclusive of Fox vote, £2000) 1883-4, £30,008; 1886-7, £27,830; 1887-8, £24,828. - The Treasury return of last quarter's expenditure is £5312, or at the rate of £21,248. With the ohanges.now going on by way of reduction, the total for the year will not exceed £20,000. The bulk of this expenditure is for land courts, .which is revenue-producing aud cannot be materially reduced below present amount, about £12,000. The expenditure on land courts last year was nearly £20,000. A return furnished of European officers in the Native department, Ist July 1869, shows 34, costing £8972 ; the present number of officers corresponding is 15, costing £3110. The annual return of the expenditure for 1869-70, Native department, gives the total at £33,299, and of

this amount only £6188 was 'for Native Land Courts. The courts in the two . years ending March last put through 3,500,000 acres. " Hansard," vol. lv. page 490, gives Mr Bryce as asking : — " Mr Bryce pointed out that last year £2000 had been transferred from the civil list to this class, but ibis year there was no provision made for that on the Estimates. Had the item gone back to theciyil list ?" "Mr Bahance replied that in consequence of the savings which had been made .in the civil list last year it was now made to'bea'r the sum of £2000 for medical officers, &c." This shows how savings on the civil list have been used' by transfer from appropriations. As a fact the savings in the Native department this year will be equal to £8000 on last year at least. The extra clerks were engaged by the day' for extra sessional work and the usual arrears in consequence of the session, and have almost finished. — J. Ballance.