THE PELORUS GUARDIAN FRIDAY, AUGUST, 1 1890. Reducing Salaries.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 1, Issue 54, 1 August 1890, Page 2

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN FRIDAY, AUGUST, 1 1890. Reducing Salaries.

It was generally thought that the Government had reduced the cost of administering the affairs of the Colony to the lowest limit, but it would seem that the Opposition and the “Skinflint” party think otherwise as the former assert the estimates can be reduced by £86,000, and the latter £50,000. It is understood that this amount is to come off the higher-paid officials, and notan all-round reduction as has generally been the case. The Wairarapa Daily accuses the House of cowardice in the matter, and says that because they are afraid of the tradesunions they have the courage to take a hundred pounds from a chief clerk or under-secretary, but they have not the pluck to take a six-pence from the earnings of a' plate-layer or a porter. | We.are glad to see our contemporary acknowledge that a change has _ taken place, because for forty years quite the opposite, was the case; it was those who had barely enough to, live upon who were reduced, while the over-paid under-secretary was notinterfered with. Our readers will remember the allround TO, per cent, reduction which was actually applied, to the poof charwomen who cleaned out the Govern-, ment offices. They had the courage then—we should say the cowardice —to take a few shillings a week from a poor woman, and nothing pleases ns more than to see that by the unity of the working-men the miserable hand of power and plenty flinches before putting its greedy grasp on a defenceless woman. In years gone by, when the Government were in difficulties, or when any commercial concern was not paying, the first thought which occurred to the managers to make both ends meet was to reduce the salaries of employees. We are rather inclined to agree with our Wellington correspondent, that some of the high salaries might be reduced without any injury to the service; but we hold; however, the opinion that too much cannot be paid to real ability add intelligence; at the same time we do not .bold with the idea that because a man manages to pass a certain exam-ination-or occupies a certain position he should receive a high salary. We •have all along contended that there is too great a difference between the higher salaries and the ; lower ones, which is not warranted by the intelligence or education of the one compared with the, other, in fact, we have seen in the Government service men of about equal ability and one man getting £SOO and the other £2OO, or £BOO paid for the difference in position. No one-would -object to a little extra being paid for the extra responsibility, but £BOO is rather too much; There are many instances of this kind, and it would be just as well if the Civil Service was made a little less attractive, for nearly everybody knows how many helpless creatures have been put'into good billets by influential friends. Nearly twenty years ago Mr Bryce,- in discussing this question, said“ It seemed to him that the Civil servants of the Colony imagined-that it was made for the sole purpose of paying their salaries. He compared, the service to the creepers around a tree, twining round and sucking its life-blood until, in a storm, the tree comes crashing down; and he thought it would be the case with the civil, servants of the Colony.” They have, besides good salaries, all sorts of privileges, and either compensation for loss of office or a pension, while schoolinasters, who have the greater responsibility, of instructing the rising generation, .not generally so well paid, may be discharged after twenty ymm of service without so much as gix-peffce m way of compensation. What we aik for is more equality, and

more even-handed justice extended- to all men in the employ of the country, and promotion to go by merit, and not by influence.