TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 1868.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 23, 9 June 1868, Page 2

TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 1868.

Tms (H.tgo Provincial Council is in HOiiaion, and it may nob bo unintoroftbing to Homo of our raiders if wo ptifc thorn in a ponition to comparo tho HfvliU'iOH vofcou f*>i' tho moro prominont Government oflloialH More with tho salaries voted by tho Canterbury^ Provincial Council to oflloialtj in a ctitnihir 'noHifcion in this province. Wo may ! remark, afc tho out«ot, that Otngo i» by no moans in hucl\ a flourishing poHition as many poonlo suppose. Tho osfciiHftted oxpondituro for tho financial year 18080, in in ojccosh of tho eati'matod rovonuo by about; £20,000 j and in thin Htatomont no provision in nmdo for immigration or publio workfl, such i\h bridgos, Tho Otngo Grovonunotifc' in tho moo of an Act of tho General AHHombly, nropoao to raino a frceh loan of for " tompomry nocos. ftitioH," and to oxpond upwards of i)B70,000 of this on immigration. In Committ'oo of Supply on Juno 2, tho Otago Troafluroi' proposed tho sum of .#I2OO as salary for tho Suporintondout. An Opposition mombor inovod that it Bfcand at ;£IOOO. Ho won not, ho said, diflflatisflod with tho Wfty in which tho Stiporintondonfc performed hiH duties ; but tho country oxpootod rotronchmont, and, considered thoso salarioH too high. Compared with other provincos, a salary of dS.IOOO for tho Suporintondont would bo a high one. It wan furthor proposed to roduco tho aalary to riSOOO per annum, Finally, it was agrood that tho salary bo iJEhOOO, Tho Suporintondont's socrotary goto a Halary ot #300. "Wo boliovo wo ivro right in Hinting thai; no fliich oflicor m provided for the Suporintondont of Canterbury. Tho Provincial Soerofcaiy and Troasuror's ofllcoß arc united in Otngo, and tho salary is roducod from dSBOO to <J2OOO, Tho Soorotary for Land and Works' salary was also roducod from $800 to J3GOO 5 and tho Provincial Bolicitor's is allowod to romain at dBOOO, with a clorlc at JO2BO. * Throo non-oflloial momboi'H of tho Exocutivo got £400 each ; a pormanont soerotary, ifi/500 j chiof olorlc, £280 ; and clorlc, <JB2'lo, Tho Spoaltor of tho Provincial Council gotH £200 j Chairman of Committoos, £100; Clorlc and Librarian, £;}GO ; AflHintanb dork, £1,75 j Sorgoant at Armn, £100 ; and MoHnongor, £100, Tho "oxponHCH of country mombora " involves a voto of £1100, which will probably bo increased to £0200. aoloct OommittooH cost £300, and printing and stationery, £000. Tho polico force of Canterbury haß often, boon pointed to an oxooptionally and unnocoflftarjly oxponsivo, Comparod with tho Okgo force, tho coh{; is ijnodorato. Tho Provincial Soorotoity, hi asking for a voto of £10,000 for polico, remarked that tho forco wan not only a crodit to the province, but war tho onvy of all tho other provinceH. There was no othor head of a depart* [ ment who did ho much work as tho Oommitirtionor of Polico. Ho had no rogular houra, and ho had recently undertaken tho dutios of Irrapocfcor in PilUOdiu— -ft saving boing thua oirootod. Tho oxpondituro had boon, year by yoar reduced ; iho ammmfcH boing, in round numbors, 18fl3-4i, £'18,000 5 18O4i-/i, £30,000; 1805-0, £20,000; 1800-7, £18,000} 1807 «8, £17 000; 1808-0, £10,000— tho rod notion boing noarly £1200, an compared with last yoai 1 . Ho hopod thoro would bo uothingliko a ropotition of langungo which liad been uaod oavlior in tho BOBaion, and which hnd cautjod anno'yanoo to tho oommiHßionor"->an officor Wlwm it would bo a groat loss to tho

province do low. An nttompt to roduco tho Oommibflionor'ft -flftlary from £000 to £600 -failed.'*' Of tho whole sum vofcod for polieb, tlio salaries Hwallow up '{61.4,413. t Tho Ofcftffo oßCot't, eorvioe costs in salaries, £1288, with ; £1,050 for contingonoioH. Tlio harbour dopftrtmont gotn a voto of £4000. for salaries, and JBO3I for contingencies 5 the gaol co.sta £4121 in BttJiU'ioa, and £5)700 for rations and contingoncioa, The Trouauror's dopartmonfj roquiroa JEIISO fov tmhviQa y and J82J50 for contingencies, and the collection of jotty duos coats £700 in m\.Wiw ttlono. From tho instance* given ivbovo, oui' roadovs will bo able to judgo for thoinsolvofi what is tho comparative coat of Provincial Government in Canterbury and Otago.