AMERICAN PRESIDENT'S SALARY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5733, 28 November 1896, Page 2

AMERICAN PRESIDENT'S SALARY.

WHAT HE DOES WITH IT. Tho New York correspondent of the Daily Mail writes.— "The Presidency of the United States is, in Yankee parlance, a fat job. The salary iv round numbers for the four years amounts to .£40,000, and the White House and lots of perquisites are thrown in in addition. Think what .£IO,OOO a year means ! And this money is sure. The cash is always ready for the President, and the Treasury Bank never bursts. Tlie salary, however, is less than two-thirds of what the President gets. For this year Congress is asked to appropriate about -£13,000 to run tho White House. The President pays no rent. His fuel and light cost him nothing. Ho does not even pay for his own newspapers, and as for stationery, he has the finest that the world can produce, and there is a shorthand writer always at hand to savo him from writing letters himself. He has a halfdozen watch dogs to keep the crowd away from him. His private secretary receives .£IOOO a year, and the man who sits outside his office door to open and close it gets a salary of .£4OO. He has MEN"" v TO READ THE PAPERS POR HIM. Ho has a telegraph operator aud a telegraph instrument in the White House, and Uncle Sam pays his telegraph bills. He seldom if over buys a postage stamp, and the thousand and one little incidentals that eat out the heart of the ordinary man's salary are paid for him. He pays no rent for his stables, and Congress gives him some money to keeji them up. The amount that is asked foi this year is -£2000, and this includes stationery, reading matter, and the-caring for the President's horses, harnesses and carriages. A great fuss is made about THE SOCIAL EXPENSES of the White House. I venture to say that President Cleveland does not pay more than .£IOOO a year for his State dinners, and I would not be surprised to know that he saved £5000 a year out of his salary. Think of it ! His four State receptions are practically free entertainments. Ihe Marine Band, paid by the Government, furnishes the music. The flowers come from the White House conservatory, and the public gardens, and the police aid the servants in taking care of the crowd. There is no food of any kind offered, and it is mighty hard to get a drink of anything, even water, on such an occasiou. The whole entertainment consists of a handshake, and, if you are especially favoured, a smile, and HANDSHAKES AND SMILES ARE CHEAP. And then there are lots of things that-go with the White House. Among* its servants there is usually a good barber, who shaves the President aad cuts his hair without charge. There is a billiard-room in one corner of the .Executive Mansion whero Grover Cleveland can go and handle the cue without its costing him a cent. The kitchens have all the latest improvements, and the Government pays tho White House steward, who attends to the marketing about £500 a year. The cooking utensils are of copper," and one of the cooking stoves is so large that you could almost roast an ox whole upon it. The dishes used by the President are of the finest china, and of the most beautiful cut glassy Many of them were-inade especially for the White House. Few people have auy idefHOVv* MANY PRESENTS COME to the White House. Cleveland was overloaded with them while he was a candidate, and at the time of his marriage-- they came in here almost by the waggon load. The President will not receive things of actual value, but he can take eatables and drinkables. Among other things that 1 remember his receiving- were a barrel of fine old brandy from Southern California, and cases of wine from different parts of the country. Every Thanksgiving he has turkeys sent him from Rhode Island, those sent last year being so largo that the White House family could not eat them. Then there are other kinds of fanoy eatables which come from admirers in different localities, and it is safe to say that the best of everything, or a sample of it, finds its way into the White House. Among Harrison's presents was a large quantity of Ceylon tea. Andrew Johnson had presents of whisky and Scuppernong wine, and both Jackson and Jefferson had presents of cheeses of the size of a hogshead.