THE GENERAL. ESTIMATES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6289, 21 September 1898, Page 2

THE GENERAL. ESTIMATES.

1 --• ■DISCUSSION JN THE HOUSE. [From Otib. Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, Sept. 20. When the Estimates were under consideration this afternoon, and the Coionial Treasurer's Department was occupying attention, Mr Pirani raised a question as to the salary of £50 for the Registrar of Consols, and elicited the information that the Secretary of tlje Treasury was the recipient. The House 1 generally was of opinion /that such items should be connected, so thai the actual salary paid to officials might be readily ascertained. An item of £200 for the comv pilation of the cable code proved 'also to include a perquisite to the Secretary, half that . •amount being a proposed; bonus to him. Mr Crowther, who poses as a candid friend of the Government,: roundly scwlded the Treasurer^'for these delinquencies, to the amuse .ment'df the House and Mr Seddon, who remarked, "Well done. Start a row, now we are getting on nicely," whereupon Mi* Pirani interjected, "There's bound to be a row," ' and proceeded to fulfil his own prophecy. He said that he was not surprised that the Premier's mining o>pe»ience gave hjm a tendency to put things in places from which they had to be dug cmt, but it was a painful^ task to keep on digging at the same claim. Proceeding to refer to previous matters in connection with Treasury officials, he was requested by the Chairman to keep to the item under discussion. Mr j Pirani explained that he had previously moved to reduce the item by £1, as an :u---j dication that the House disapproved of the | (practice of giving bonuses to salaried officials. '.The Chairman" stated that ho had understood that Mr Pirani intended tcrmove an amendment, but he had not heard :fc moved. :. Mr: Pirani : I excuse, the Chairman., .-:v The Chairman : I cannot allow such Knguage. ...;,,.■■... ....... ,^^ v -,_- ,•■ ; The statement was withdrawn by Mr Pirani, who went on : "I don't think it fair of the Chairman." The Chairman: The honourable member must withdraw that also, and if he continues remarks -pf this kind I shall call on the leader of ;-fche House to take action. The t&ember for Patea, 1 ; speaking to Mr i Pirani's motion, proceeded to refer to the' correspondence between the Treasury and the Audit; Office, which is the subject of an \ adjourned 'debate now on the, Order Paper. Mr Guinness refused to allow him to discuss it, Mr Hutchison therefore moved that the committee should report progress, and continued his references. Mr Guinness again ruled that the matter was not relevant, and the motion to report progress was then put and lost. Mr Hutchison then moved to reduce the Secretary's salary by £1, but was not permitted to refer to the correspondence, as involving the conduct of the officer whose salary was under consideration. The Chairman repeated his previous ruling, and Mr Duthie therefore moved to report progress to obtain the Speaker's opinion on the Chairman's ruling 1 . The Speaker sustained the ruling, stating that on the matter of the correspondence referred to the House had practically reserved to itself the decision, and that, as the votes proposed to the House were virtually questions in themselves, the Chairman,* duty was not to allow anything to be introduced into the discussion not strictly relevant ta the items under consideration. WELLINGTON; Sept. 21. On the House resuming -after dinner,, a somewhat' stormy, discussion toot place on the. it em Friendly Societies' registry office. Mri'jSlisSq [..appeared as special counsel for the; Friendly -Societies, asserting that great 1 iricr tion^ existed between "the Societies; and the Revising Barrister; The question : is ; : not a new one, and' has been brought up during the last three sessions, but the discussion, was no less keen because the subject was stale. Counsel for the defence, Mr Morrison, in his usual declamatory style, contradicted the statements and annihilated the arguments of Mr Sligo. He was aware that there had 'be»n friction, but he believed that it largely arose from ■misunderstanding. Mr Tanner supported Mr Sligo, but hoped that the- de-* partment would now work more smoothly. j while Mr Morr' son's statements were upheld j by Mr John .Hutcheson. whose words were, ! as he hoped they would be, as oil on the ! troubled waters, and the item passed in spite of the criticisms levelled at'the department. The member for Ellesmere took full advantage of the suggestion made to h'm when Tioviner for a return of temporary clerks, that he should ask for information in each department when the Estimates were under discussion. When the item for extra clerical assistance in the Land and Income Tax Department, £2500, was brought forward, the Premier, in answer to Mr Montgomery, stated that the number of temporary clerks fluctuated between fifty and twelve. Many, he said, had been in the service before, and the work of the department made.it absolutely necessary that extra men should be employed at crtain times. He was not in fayruf of boy labour, and if youths from the , Civil Service Ist were employed instead of men for this work, the- result would be the creation of a large army of temporary clerks to worry future Governments. In; answer to Mr John Hutcheson , Mr Seddon sta'ed that some men were paid only 8s per day. but it was for work such as addressing envelopes. Mr Hutcheson. however, was not satisfied, and declared that the men were underpaid, or there was not enough work for them. The competency .of some of the -Blerkvhayinp been called into nuestion, the Premier : declared that Mr j M'Gowan :.was a 'most; careful officer, and if , members presented themselves 1 to- him for work, not tsn per cent would satisfy the requ; r'ment«. He was sure that he himself would nof be taken on; Mr Hutcheson having asserted his ooinion that of all the fifty temporary clerks in the department, not one had been taken on without political influence being used, Mr Kelly declared that, most of them were suirolied by three political or- \ giiir satiojjs iri. Wellington. '' How it happens," the Premier, amidst laughter, explained to the House. '' how the thing is managed, a mother with a promising try calls on the Minister for the district, and, with teal's in her eyes, dilates on the boy's capabilities, and assures the member that she knows the Premier is a big-hearted man, and only needs to be asked. The member is unable to resist, and gives the required promise, but does not see the Premier. The boy gets into the Service somehow, and the Premier gets all the blame. If you were to ask each member," said the Premier, "to place his hand on his- heart and say that he had never done this thing, very few could stand it."