The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-11-04 00:00:00

A TRIBUTE OF PRAISE.

In pasaing, I will say that, as no Minister ever had the
honour to serve a S.,vereign more august, or more beloved
(loud cheers), so no Minister ever had cause to feel deeper
gratitude to a body of able, devoted, and harmonious col-
leagues. (Cheers.) It is now more than 200 years ago when
a Minister of iron will and of great mental powers—lnrd
Strafford—in apologizing for himself to his fellow-country-
men. told them that the work of Government was such that
indulgence must be applied to its critical examination. If
this was true at that period, much more is it true now, when
all civil and social wants have undergone such an immense
development, and when political responsibility has assumed
forms entirely new. But, except for that apology, lam here
respectfully and firmly to defend the course which has been
taken by the Government. (Cheers.)

[Mr. Gladstone then adverted to the measures taken
by lovernment with respect to the " Fenian Scare"
and the Irish Land Scheme.]

ECONOMY IN PUBLIC EXPENDITURE.
As this is a question of ever-recurring daily interest, I
must advert to tho charges that have been made against the
Government with respect to it. It has been said—and said
with confidence—that we have practised economy with gross
inequality and partiality—that we have dismissed clerks.
that we have dismissed dockyard labourers, and that when
we have had the opportanity Iva have refused to touch the
einecurist or the official functionaty of a higher position
Now with respect to the dismissal of dockyard labomers
(intemmtion), it is necessary that I should say a few words ;
and the facts which I mean to communicate to you may,
perhaps, cause some astonishment, because you are aware
that if you trust to the representations id speakers or of
journalists of a certain class, this dismissal of dockyard
labourers, first of all is a crPne ; and, secondly, it is a
crime that has been committed by the present (ioveniment
alone.
.Cheers, and "No, no.") I will give you in a con-
cise form, the particulars. But, in the thst place, let me say
that, in my opinion, the 009ing or the restriction if Govern-
ment establishments, an far from being a crime, may be a
duty to the nation (cheers, and has been recognised as
Inch duty by both parties when they have been iu office.
That it is a serious misfortune to ninny of those whom
it affects I am the first to assert; but the true inference
to be drawn from that is—what? Not that men are to
I be kept hi indolence at the expense of the nation ; nor that
useless work is to be created in order to employ them hut
this, that the original creation of Government establish-
ments ant that every extension of Government establish
ments ought to be watched with the utmost jealousy, and ,
ought never to be allowed except upon clear and stringent
necessity. (Cheers and interruption.) Now, with regard
to dockyard labourers, listen to the figures, for they are
worth hearing. The number of dockyard labourers em-
ployed on the Ist of January, 1864, was 20,913 On the
lot of December, 1806, which was the day before T r. ceived
my summons to the presence of her Majesty at Windsor,
that number of 20,313 bad been reduced to 15,974. (Dear,
h--or.) The difference, allowing the reduction since the
beginning of the year, was 4,359. The number of does-
yard labourers which we fmind was 15,974 ; and the number
of dockyard labourers on the lot of October last, which is
the latest return I can give you, was 14,511. (Cheers.) The
result of that statement in that the reduction since we came
into office has been 1,463. The reduction before we came
into office was 4,359, so That three-fourths of the whole re-
duction of which you now hear so much were not our work,
but the work of our predecessors. (Cheers). But I have
told you the work was a work not undertaken either by
them or by us upon our owe arbitrary will. A plan devised
by • former Government, and sanctioned by • Com-
mittee of the Douse of Commons, on the application of
that Government, was the plan which the present and
the late Adminisration carried into effect. In conformity
with that plan, the Deptford Dockyard was closed
on the 3lst of March, 1869, but by the decision of the
Board of Agneimlty belonging to the late Government. The
Woolwich Dockyard was closed by the decision of the
Board belonging to the pr Sent UoVeraMfAit ; but both of
them were closed in consequence, aa I have said, of a plan
proposed by a former Uoverniueut to the House 0( CelaMolls,

and accepted by a former Parliament, anti it had become is
pledge of honour to Parliament and the country that
that plan should be carried into effect. Well. now it has
been said that we have never touched officers if it higher
class. Gentlemen. I will speak for myself, and I only
speak for myself, because I PM, of course, inure strictly
responsible for the accuracy of ii bat I state. Within a few
weeks after the formation of the Uovernment, one of the
timid eligible pieces of patronage, as patronage is understood,
fell vacant by the death of a Commissioner of Inland Re-
Velitle, with a salary of .C1,2*0 a year. Those gentlemen who
are Interested in the matter may ascertain it by refer.
elite to the records of the time --I need not nienth.ll the
MUue of the conuniasioner. 'ii'. 11. gentlemen, it was re-
ported to Inc that the maintenance of that Mike was urn.,
cessary, and I immediately directed it should be abolished.
tchcers.) The next eligible picee of patronage that offered
itself to me—und 3ou will understand the difference be-
tween odietl3 of patronage and those offices of hard work
which must be tilled (eheers,—the next elitiblo piece of

patronage that presented itself to me was A Commissioner.
ship of the Dial,' if Ciotoms. With respect to that office,
it was reported to me that it could not in, Omit:Mist ; hot
there Was another office In the same Department, the office
of the Receiver, with the Inoue salary of t:1,200 a-year,
that might be abolished. The course we took *vas this —we
transferred the Receiver to the Commissionershlp and we
abolished the °thee of Receiver. iCheery.) I won't trouble
you with details ; but I meet with an indignant denial, and
with a confident, if not a contemptuous challenge, the decla-
ration of those whi say that we have spared our own patron-
age while we have dismissed clerks and wiirkmen. (Cheers.)
It has been, gentlemen, our happy lot, in almost every
department of the State I believe there are but ti,o excep-
tions—to give up that which has always been considered the
special patronage and the highly-prized patronage of a Go-
vernment—namely, the appointment of clerks to the civil
offices of the country We have abandoned that power :we
have thrown every one of them open to public competition.
(Cheers.) The transition is now nearly complete, and, with
regard to the future, I can say that as to the clerkships in
my office—the office of the Treasury—everyone of you has
just as much power over their disposal as I have. (Cheers.)
Well, gentlemen, so much for inequality in regard to our
economy. But it is further said " that our economies
have been so injudicious that they have resulted in
increased charge" Now, that, gentlemen, is a simple
error on the part of those who assert it. I will trouble
, you with no details. The figures are public figures.
••-•• •• • •

-
Here 11fr. Gladstone entered into details respecting
the reduction in the estimates, and concluded thin
branch of the subject by saying that :

We modified and restrained the absurd system
under which we Wvre maintaining in the present time
a practice which may formerly have been reasonable,
but which has now heroine a superstition—the practice
by which the ships of England were scattered all over
the world, whether they were wanted or whether they
were not, and restraining the wanton and useless expenditure
which was incurred in that matter ; we at tke same time did
not reduce, but took effectual measures to strengthen the
real force of the country at home in powerful theta, avail-
able, if need he, at any moment, for the defence of your
shores. (Cheats.) And nil it was with respect to the army.
We did not purchase economy at the expense of efficiency.
We obtained increased efficiency with economy (cheers), and
that in two particular modes,