The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-01 00:00:00

744 petitive test, which be believed, if fairly applied, was in a much greater degree moral than intellectual. Mr. S. HERBERT, after reiterating, his previous opinions regarding the competitive test, complained of the unfair judgments passed upon general officers commanding in the field. lie repeated his objection tosthe establishment cf a separate staff•corps, and suggested that the examination for staff appoint ments should be conducted by a permanent body of examiners, and should certainly include the aides-de camp. Lord PALMERSTON said there were three requisites to make a good officer—first, general intelligence and an ordinary education ; second, a proficiency in pro fessional knowledge ; and third, those constitutional qualifications which, beyond all others, were impor tant in an officer. The first examination of a young man entering the army ought to be a test of his education and intellectual qualities. When he got his commission and entered the army his corn • mending officer would judge of his qualities, and then would come the competitive examination for the staff, and arrangements would be made that the standard should not fall below the proper point. The resolution before the house went to make an affirmation of points still under consideration ; and although, generally speaking, he agreed with the principles upon which the resolution was founded, he submitted to Sir De Lacy Evans whether he would either leave the matter in the hands of the Government, or modify the resolution so as to affirm the general principles without tying down the Govern ment to particular details, which might be incon• venient. Sir DE LACY EVANS modified the resolution accordingly, and in its amended shape it was agreed to. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in reply to Mr. Buchanan, said that the Select Committee on the Bank Acts had agreed to report the evidence. GALWAY ELECTION. Colonel FRENCH moved that a new writ do issue for the borough of Galway. Mr. G. CLIVE, the chairman of the committee whose decision had unseated Mr. O'Flaberty, by the direction of the committee moved by way of amendment — That this house do pray her Majesty to cause an inquiry to be made into the existence of corrupt practices during the last as well as former elections for the county of the town of Galway. Mr. J. D. FITZGERALD supported the amendment, referring to the report of the committee, which stated that systematic bribery hail prevailed at the last and previous elections at Galway. The motion was negatived and the amendment agreed to. MAYO ELECTION. Colonel FRENCH then moved for a new writ for the county of Mayo. Mr. SCHOLEFIELD called attention to the fifth re solution of the select committee on the Mayo county election, and moved, as an amendment, that the Attorney-General for Ireland be directed theteon to prosecute the Rev. P. Conway and the Rev. L. Ryan. In support of this amendment he read passages from the evidence taken by the committee touching the language and conduct of the two rev. gentlemen in relation to the election. A division ensued, whereby the original motion was negatived by 153 to 29. Mr. Seholefteld's amendment was then put as a substantive motion, whereupon Mr. BRADY moved that the house do adjourn ; but, upon a division, this motion was negatived by 149 to 16. Tne motion was then agreed to. Mr. Scnoi.EFIELD moved that the writ for the county of Mayo be suspended during the present session, and this motion was carried upon a division by 128 to 21. The house adjourned at a quarter to three o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS-WEDNESDAY. The house having resolved itself into a committee on the Smoke Nuisance (Scotland) Abatement Bill, the clauses were agreed to, after discussion, with certain amendments. THE PRESS, AUGUST 1,1857. merely came to Parliament, as a servant to a master, to ask that a bad system might be remedied, and that they might be relieved from deductions to which they objected. If there had been an increase in the salaries of late years that would, he admitted, afford some answer to his :case, but he would show from a reference to the Admiralty and Customs that that was not the fact. In 1834, in the Admiralty 109 persons were employed at a cost of 59,2601., th e average annual salary being 2971.; whereas in 1856, 262 persons were employed at a cost of 74,3851., the average annual salary being 2831. In 1834, there were employed in the collection of the Custom duties 4,856 persons at a cost of 722,5001., the average annual salary being 1491., and in 1856 there were 5,570 persons employed at a cost of 814,0001., the average annual salary being 1461. But the Secretary of the Treasury was not consistent in his statements on the subject, for on the 23rd of July, during the dis cussion on the bill, he stated that there Lad been a large increase in the salaries; and only a month before he had stated that notwithstanding that there had been a large increase of business, there had been an absolute diminution of the amount of salaries. The noble lord denied that this bill was for the benefit of the rich, and stated that it woukl affect salaries of 1401. There would be no loss to the public purse from the passing of the measure ; on the contrary, he was prepared to show that the interest of the superannuation fund would leave a large balance in the Exchequer. Another objection made to his measure was that it did not deal with the whole question of superannuation allowances, and that it did not carry out the recommendations of the commissioners. What were the recommenda tions of the commissioners? The principal recom mendation was that there should be a total abolition of deductions from salaries in the civil service for superannuation, without a corresponding reduction in salaries, and it was to carry out that object that his bill was introduced. The whole sense of the country was against the existing system ; great dis satisfaction wits created by the question being left open, and he trusted that the Government would not stand in the way of the carrying out of the report of the commissioners, as nothing less than that would satisfy the civil servants. Mr. GLADSTONE admitted the right of the civil servants to two things—a full and respectful hearing, and a clear end definite decision ; and he hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would state distinctly that it was—as he did not doubt it was—the intention of the Government to maintain the systems of remu neration of the civil service mainly as it was. Not withstanding the disclaimer of Lord Naas, that he (lid not propose an increase of salaries, the bill of the noble lord was plainly and exclusively a bill for the increase of salaries, and was in diametrical oppo sition to the opinion a committee of the House of Commons, whose authority he preferred to that of the Royal Commissioners. If this proceeding were encouraged, the House must not be surprised if an early result should be a proposal to augment the salaries of the political officers of the State. An erroneous notion was entertained, he observed, of the intention of the Superannuation Act. Its rral intention was that the deductions should be in lieu of a general diminution of salaries. It was all very well to come down with chivalric ideas of generosity ; but the house must have some regard for the public, and consider the principle upon which remuneration should be given to public servants. This remunera tion came out of the produce of the taxes, which were paid out of the labour of England, the wages of which were regulated by the law of demand and supply. The civil servants of the Crown were in his opinion not an ill-paid, but, on the contrary, rather a well-paid class, and the house would not be just towards the taxpayers of England if it acceded to this bill, to increase salaries indiscriminately to the extent of 70,0001. a year, which in substance was, moreover, prohibited by the rules of the House of Commons, without the consent of the Crown. Mr. DISRAELI observed that the Government had acknowledged the expediency of legislating upon this subject. They had introduced a bill, which they submitted to a committee, whose rerrt was in favour of the principle contained in the present bill. Not satisfied with this, they submitted the subject to a royal commission, whose verdict concurred with the previous recommendation of the parliamentary com mittee. Although he looked with distrust upon this system of referring to parliamentary committees questions which the house or the Government ought upon their own responsibility to determine, yet he thought, in this case, such irresistible authority bad been brought to bear upon the question as to pre clude the house from recommending the investigation ab initio upon which they originally entered. He did not consider that the question of a general in crease of salaries had any connection with the ques tion before the house. As the Government did not move in the matter, Lord Naas had very properly brought forward this bill, in order to obtain the decision of the house regarding the abolition of the dellaotiouo authorised by tke eaistiag act;-. It has no connection whatever with the question whether we ought or ought not to free the civil service from a tax which previous discussions in this house, as well as the investigations of committees and' commissions and the opinions entertained with regard to it by successive Ministries, testify to be an imposition which is both unjust and impolitic. Under these circumstances I trust my noble friend will upon this occasion succeed in obtaining the assent of the house to a measure the operation of which I think will be virtually to settle this important question. I may remind hon. members that even should that measure pass into a law it will still be open to the Government to carry out all those other arrangements with respect to the civil service which have been recom mended by the various committees and commissions, or which they themselves may deem it desirable to introduce. It will be perfectly in their power to take that course with the concurrence of Parliament, and they may even without that sanction revise the salaries of those off►cers who would be affected by the proposal which is made by my noble friend. In conclusion, I have only to say that if this bill be carried the result will be to terminate a con troversy which is at once painful and impolitic, and, be lieving that to be the case, I shall give to the measure my cordial support. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the question might be regarded under three aspects—as a question of feeling, or of equity and justice, or of expediency. He utterly disputed the claim of the civil service on the ground of equity and justice, maintaining that the contract in the act w lO3 clear and precise, and that the conditions had been strictly fulfilled. He, moreover, contended that it was utterly impossible to show that if a fund had been created the civil servants would have benefited thereby. For other reasons he insisted that a claim upon the footing of justice and equity for a rateable increase of salaries altogether failed. Then with regard to expediency, the committee, in recommend ing the abolition of the abatement, also recom mended a corresponding reduction of salaries, and the Government bill gave authority to the Treasury to revise salaries. The commissioners, who repu diated the claim of the civil service on the ground of right, advised, as the present system was full of anomalies and otherwise objectionable, the uncon ditional remission of the abatement. If the house, in a spirit of generosity, was prepared to surrender this sum to the service indiscriminately, without reference to merit, it could do so ; but, if not, it might accompany the abolition, by calling upon the Government to make a reduction in salaries equiva lent to the abatement. Upon a division the motion for the second reading of the bill was carried by 171 to 111—a majority of 00 against the Government. OATHS BILL. Lord J. RUSSELL, in fixing Monday for the second reading of the Oaths Validity Act Amendment Bill, hinted, somewhat obscurely, that Baron Rothschild might be enabled to take his seat, independently of the bill. Sir F. THESIGER The noble lord has talked of some mode by which Baron Rothschild may take hie seat in this house without any bill being passed for the purpose of altering the oaths ; but he has not given the house any information as to the time when an attempt of that kind will be made. It would be very convenient to hon. members if the noble lord would furnish them with any information which he has ou that subject. Lord J. RUSSELL : I have no information of that kind. lam not aware of Baron Rothschild's intention on that subj eat ; hut if should receive any communication from Baron Rothschild I will take care to give notice to the house, fur I think it is very necessary that they should be informed of the course which he intends to take. The second reading was then postponed till Monday next. SUPERANNUATION ACT AMENDMENT BILL. The adjourned debate on the second reading of this bill was resumed. Mr. limn continued his argument against the bill, which he opposed as imperfect in its framework, as unjust in its operations, as quite unnecessary, as based upon erroneous statements, as involving a needless and extravagant expenditure of public money, and especially us recognising and encourag ing a breach of contract. Tho question was, not whether or not there should be an abatement, but whether they would consent to add 100,0001. a year to the salaries of one third of the public servants, out of whioh the richest would get five per cent., a poorer class two and a half, and the lowest class nothing. Lord NAAS declared that there was no question of tIOOOII of c9ptfazt in MO ? Ibe 9iyil eervaabi INTELLIGENCE FROM INDIA. Lord PALMERSTON, in reply to Mr. Hildyard, was " really unable to explain " how it was that the Government telegraphic despatch from India was only received on Thursday morning, when private telegraphs reached the City on Wednesday afternoon. The house adjourned at five minutes to six. HOUSE OF LORDS—THURSDAY. Lord ELLENBOROUGH callsd the attention of the Government to the omission of an important pro clamation by the Board of East India Directors from among the documents recently laid before Par liament bearing on the Indian mutinies—the pro clamation of the lfith May last. The noble lord then went on to comment on the system of bad government, through clerks and secretaries rather than by the Governor-General, discovered in those despatches, and gave the following account of the measures adopted upon the first symptom of disaffec tion at Barrackpore On the 21st of January at Dumdum there was a very strong feeling among the sepoys that it was impossible for them, consistently with their religious prejudices—as we should call them—or persuasions, to use the cartridges which had been provided for them ; and on the '22nd correspondence commenced on the subject. Eight dd• ferent letters are written with respect to it, and four days gre 410704 to Wire bef9o tits GovtorMent pt 4dii st