The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-13 00:00:00

PUBLIC SALARIES CO TIES.

Lord J. RUSSELL —Sir, I am now abeut to move the.
appointment of a select committee to inquire into the sola-
rise of the various public departments, civil, judicial, and di-
plomatic, with a view to report what reductions, Vany, may
ne fairly made in their amount. It dots appear to me thec-
a question of the kind requires the exami ation and deciaion
of a committee, bemuse heretofore committees of this house
have had various questions, connected with the public esta-
blishment' of this country, submitted to them. (Hear,
hear.) In 1798. a committee was appointed to inquire into
the cavil esublishments of the country- and in their twenty-
seventh report, referriag to the judicial eat iblishment, the
salaries of the Lntd Cnancellor, the Master of the Rolls,
and other judicial tune sontries, they recommended various
redactions in the salon,. connected with the courts of law.
In 1818 and 1828 committees of inquiry were appointed
alto, and after the committee of 1828 had inquired into and
considered the milk iry erablishment, Lord Althorp, in
November, 1930, proposed the appointment of a committee
to inquire into 'Haim pain to persons holding offices at tit.
pleasure of the crown. Lord Alth .rp, on that occasion, de-
clared that he made the proposal for • committee, because,
although the government wee prepared to undertake the
responsibility ut any redue,ion they might make or oast-
sider ex,oedient, be yet thought it better to have a 110111111111.
tee of iadependent members of that house to inquire into
the salaries paid these onions respectively for the per
humane. of their several duties (Hoar, hear.) In 1848, a
committee was appointed to inquire into the various mili-
tary establishments of the country, which branch of the
service performed its duty most efficiently to the canntry ;
and in following up them precedents I now proceed to move
the appointment of a committee to inquire into the civil
duties ; and which heretofore engaged the attention of men
of great experience and ability. (Hear, hear) Sir, with
respect to the first object of the committee, namely, the
salaries of persons holding office during the pleasure of the
crown, and having seats in parliament, very considerable
reductions were proposed by the committee of 1830 ; and
the subject ha. again been under the consideration of a
committee which sat • very few years ago on the nn ece'.
laneoes expense.. At the lame time every person who has
watched the proceedings here must be aware that on fro
quest omasiou there have been proposals to reduce, by
some 10 per neat, the salaries, or to diminish the number
of officials receiving emoluments in remuneration for the
melees which they perform by virtue of their abet How-
ever si-, I think it far .better that a querion of this kind
should be considered bin committee of independent mem-
bers of this house, than decided by the government of the
country. (Hear, hear.) Theielore I think it desirable
that there should be • sew inquiry on this part of the sub-
ject and that we should know the opinion entertained
tic an independent committee with regard to the salaries
of to the performance of the duties in the va-
rious offices. (Hear, hear.) In melting his proposal in
1830 Lord Althorp said that, whilst toppled to extravagance,
he yet catstier.d it desirable that the higher sad superior
offices of the state should not be cones iii vilely to persons
of large private fortunes—(hear, hear)—hut that the
official salad's should be such as to enable individuals of
adequate capacity, appointed to office by parliament, to un-
dertake these offices without detriment to, or encroachment
on, their private fortunes. (Hear, hear.) Therefore, in the
present instance, the committee will have to consider what
line they will draw as regards the various t Mete, with a
view to guard against reductions which may be ruinous to
persons of small rivets fortune, should it happen that, by
the favour of the crown and the authority of parliament,
they shall be appointed to Aloe. (Hear, hear.) With
regard to the second part of toe motion, that which relates
to the 1411,10 of judges, it is a oonsiderabl • time since there
ha been any inquiry upon the sutiset, In 1831, when
Lord Dimmest was appemted Chief J twice of the Court of
B nob, it was proposed that he should have that
high office with 8,0001. • year, which he consented to se-
cep., and which he received during the time that he held
that of 8,41; but there has been 1111 regular ditosion icy paella.