The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-16 00:00:00

MAY 16, 1857. morning contemporary has not hesitated to denounce it as a " swindle." When such terms as these are applied to a deliberate measure of the Legislature it becomes neces sary to inquire closely into the facts of the ease, and to see how far such strong denuncia tion can be justified. The task is compara tively easy. The superannuation impost is exceedingly simple in form. Its defects stand out in bold relief. Its anomalies are revealed with unblushing effrontery. Before the year 1834 pensions were granted by the State without subtracting any contribution from the salaries of the Civil servants. But in that year a measure was introduced into Parliament under which those Civil ser vants appointed subsequently to 1829 were subjected to an annual deduction from their salaries of two and a half per cent. if below 1001., and five per cent. if 1001. or up wards. These deductions were intended to form a fund, out of which should be defrayed the whole cost of superannuations. This measure, although partially, was not entirely retrospective in its application. It in no wise affected the position of those officers who had entered the service previously to 1829. They were still subject to the old regime ; they were allowed the same liberal pensions, and not liable to the new illiberal tax. On the junior branch of the service—that is to say, the class appointed subsequent to 1829—the deductions have been made without interrup tion. Had the original intention, as announced in Parliament, been carried out, a very large sum would by this time have been amassed; the interest upon which alone would have almost, if not entirely, sufficed to liquidate all superannuation claims. No such fund, how ever, has ever existed, and the question is naturally asked, what has become of the accu mulations? To this question there has never been given a satisfactory answer. The sub ject, however, is one which is beginning to excite considerable attention, and numerous petitions are daily being presented to both Houses of the Legislature from the several departments of the State, praying for an aboli tion or amendment of the impost. Lord ALBEMARLE, in his place in the House of Lords on Monday last,presented one of these petitions, and, in doing so, took the opportunity of making the following observations, which aro so practical and clear, and illustrate the anomalies of the tax so forcibly, that we need offer no apology for introducing them. The Noble Earl said :-- In 18`•34 was passed the act of which the Civil servants now with so much justice complained. One of the chief objections to it was that it was partial and unequal in its operation. For example, some of the persons connected with the Treasury were compelled to pay the tax, while others were entirely exempt. The high political, diplo matic, and judicial functionaries did not contribute a single farthing to the fund The annual tax amounted to 66,0001. The sum paid out was 11,00:11., no portion of the remainder going into the pockets of the Civil servants. Since the tax had been levied the total contributions amounted to 900,0001. Of that sum the Government had paid away 82,0001., leaving a balance due to the Civil servants of 818,0001. Only one sixth part of the Civil servants derived any benefit from the fund, and many cases might be stated showing the injustice of the tax. The Noble Earl then gave the following case as illustrating the injustice and unfairness of the tax : Some time ago a landing-waiter died at Southampton before he had attained the age of sixty. His contributions to the fund amounted to 2001., and yet neither his widow nor any other member of his family received one sixpence. According to the statement of an experienced actuary, if the deceased had laid out the same money on a policy he would have left 3501. fur his family. We have cited at length these remarks of Lord ALBEMARLE as demonstrating the injus tice of the impost. It is the duty of the State to treat its servants liberally and honestly. It is manifestly unjust that an officer of the Civil Service should be subjected to annual deductions from his salary, which, should he die in harness, would be permanently confiscated. The policy of the State should be liberal pensions and no deductions. The service of the Crown monopolises the time and labour of its officers for the greater portion of their lives. It must be acknowledged that the Civil servants perform their functions with alacrity and zeal. Taken as a class, we do not think there is any body of men from whom more is required, and whose services are THE PRESS. worse remunerated. The knowledge, atten tion, and labour required to keep in motion that machine ty which the Government of the country is carried on and controlled, must necessarily be very great. Moreover, it is but common justice that an officer who devotes his talents and energies to the service of his country should have the satisfaction of anticipating a time when he might retire on a liberal pension and enjoy his otium cum eligni tate. We do not envy the feelings of those who calmly originated so ungracious a tax. They are in Parliament now. Let them acknowledge their error, and render their assistance to blot out of the statutes a mea sure which is in every way unworthy of the Legislature of this country, and manifestly u►►just towards the servants of the Crown. OUR CRIMINAL CLASSES. OUR own views upon transportation must by this time be tolerably familiar to the ma jority of our readers. We have always thought that both for the country and the criminal no plan was equal to that of getting rid of him. In a new country he would have fewer temptations to crime and more opportu nities of honesty; while his presence in Erg land was productive of a double evil—assisting to disseminate the moral poison, and interfer• ing, more or less, with the claims of the honest poor. The fact is, that if we look carefully into the humanitarian theory as propounded by Arch bishop WHATELy, we cannot avoid being struck by the similarity between these views and those of another branch of the same school, so wittily exposed by Mr. DICKENS in the person of the " Shepherd." Both humanity and jus tice bid us to look at home first. We have no right, it may be urged, to spread our moral sewer age over half the globe. But the question is, whether our forbearance to do so may not lead to its dissemination in a more dangerous and insidious shape. We take pride in be lieving that the Anglo-Saxon race has a great mission to fulfil,—nothing less, in fact, than the civilisation of half the human race. The fearful responsibility which in such a case rests upon our rulers need scarcely be described. Surely it is no light matter to determine how the nursery of a race destined to influence so many millions may be kept most clear from pollution. If we poison the fountain head, the water can never be purified. Such considera tions may well make us pause ere we finally determine to retain our criminals among us. The claims of an empire in ease take prece dence over those of one merely in posse. Great Britain is already a great country with a great destiny to fulfil. Our colonies only may become so. Thatthe presence of large masses ofcriminals in this country, unless most carefully and skil fully wronged, would have a tendency to infect the honest population and lower the national character, can be doubtful to no one who reflects on the subtle and rapid communication of moral disease. The precise mode of infec tion may he as difficult to detect as that of the cholera. But like breeds like. Crime has a disposition to multiply itself; and in the rank soil and heated atmosphere of our large over• populated towns, the multiplication proceeds at a rate fearful to contemplate. Of our discharged criminals only a portion will have any desire to seek after an honest livelihood, and only a portion of these will succeed in obtaining it ; so that a class of veteran criminals will gradually grow up about us who will act as schoolmasters in their craft, and by their experience and knowledge daily render the task of detection more difficult. If we turn to our colonies we shall find these circumstances either wholly reversed, or in a very much mitigated shape. There is at once an outlet for adventurous natures which, under• proper conditions, develope into strength and soundness, but amid the re straints of an old society smoulder internally, and are almost certain to be useless, if they do not kindle into crime. In the rough, free life of a youthful colony crime has a tendency to • wear itself out. The son will improve upon the 471 father, and the grandson he an excellent citizen. At home it is just the reverse — crime becomes hereditary, and iii each gene ration receives a fresh impetus. It is like the flaming missile mentioned by LIVY Quod " conceptum ipso motu multo majorem ignent " ferret." The benefit of transportation upon the offender himself scarcely requires to be pointed out. We at once by that system got rid of our " convict difficulty," and the dis charged convict was not compelled to wander over the face of the country dogged by the polic and vainly striving to earn a crust of bread by honest means. This is obvious. But by Sir GEORGE GREY'S Bill a new element is introduced which is calculated to neutralise the terrors of punishment, whether it be penal servitude or transportation. We allude to the uncertainty in which the ill-disposed classes will remain as to the punishment with which any particular offence will be visited. Does the embryo burglar feel inclined for a trip to the Antipodes, he will make up his mind that it will be his lot to be transported. Does he feel an irrefragable attachment for the gin•palace and the " gaff," he will determine that a short period of servitude in the neigh bourhood of his old haunts will expiate his offence, and restore him to a new lease of self indulgence. It is impossible but that some thing of this sort should be the working of the new system upon uneducated and thoughtless minds ; and we are very glad to observe that both Sir JOHN PAKINOTON and Mr. HENLEY energetically protested against this novel inconvenience. It is said also that the Judge would not be so competent to decide upon a prisoner's fitness for servitude or transportation as the Government after some experience of his habits. We do not think the argument well founded. In the case of an old offender the police could give all the necessary information. In the case of a first offence, all that need be re• quired would be to learn something of the prisoner's physical capabilities, which could be ascertained in the majority of instances from friends or parishioners ; while such testi mony would have the advantage of being more reliable than conclusions formed from the con duct of the prisoner in gaol, when he is ne cessarily acting a part. We believe, unfortunately, that there is but too much truth in the arguments of those who, like Lord STANLEY, question the possibility of founding new penal settlements—at all events settlements of any magnitude. But this is no reason why we should not make the most of such resources as are within our reach. Every year that transportation can be continued is so much time gained, and so much moral evil removed. There is no reason why we should not make as much use of transportation as possible, even though we may foresee its limits. Our own opinion ou the Falkland Islands has been on other occasions put for ward. As Lord STANLEY said the other night, the area is limited. But why not make the most we can of it ? Let us fully recognise with his Lordship that transportation must one day cease, and then the fact of its continuation for the present'will not interfere with our pre paration of a final substitute. By the time our deport.atoiy resources are used up, educa tion may have done much to make the " criminal classes " less dangerous. . THE NEW ARCTIC STEAM YACHT, the F ox , ntting out at Aberdeen for Lady Franklin's final search, under the command of Captain M'Clintock, RN., is rapidly progressing in her equipment. She will be a " model Arctic." One hundred men are now at work upon her, besides others employed about her machinery. It is expected that the Fox will sail about the latter end of June. Captain M'Clintock proposes to make his way down Prince Regent's Inlet, and thence through Bellot's Strait into the field of search; or, if the ice permits, to attempt the passage of Peel Strait. If neither of these plans is practicable, he will abandon the idea of taking the ship through the supposed north-west passage ; and, leaving her in safety in Prince Regent's Inlet, will proceed to make the requisite search by sledging parties. THE CHAIR OF MILITARY SURGERY AT EDINBURGH, vacant by the death of Sir George Ballingall, has at length been filled up by Government, by the appoint ment of Dr. Matthew, staff-surgeon of Crimean experience. '"~ ••••