The National Register.
London, England, 1816-03-25 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL DISTRESSES.

Mr. CVR WEN presented a petition from the landholders of
Comberlaud, stating the ao.ieultural distresses of the country.
The Hon. Gentleman staii d the great distresses of the county
in particular from u Inch this petition proceeded, and consi-
dered that the Noble Lord could not be aware of the general
state of the agricultural distress, which had arisen in a great
measure out of the want of a circulating medium, and from the
increase of the hurortatiint of wheal and grain, anteccdant to
the year 18t'1. He contended, that there woe at this moment
more men nut of employment than at any period of scarcity.
The pressure of taxation had borne so heavily on the rich, that
they could not find employment for the poor. 'the abandon-
ment of the Malt-tax was a relief to the farmer ; hut he still
found ltimself aggrieved front the pressure of the Horse-tax ;
and he Loped Ministers would Mix that part of the subject
him consideration.

Mr. LONG %V ELLENLEY declared, that no now felt wore than
himself for the distresses of the uvicultural interests. lint
when the Income and Malt-taxes were removed, what more did
the people want ? Ministers were Witted to the thanks of the
country for what ;hey had dune.
Mr. *WESTERN expressed his satisfaction that the Malt-tax
was to be repealed.
Lord CkIiTLIMEAOII trusted the House and the country
would see it in the light in ti)iieh it was intended, uamel3, as a
great effort to relieve the distress of the lower classes of the
people.
Tile petition was then received ; and referred to the Agri-
cultural Committee. _ _

Lul! NL(/ENT. after a few words, moved for an account of
the number of Clerks, and the amount of their salarte,, exi,t-
Mg in the Admiralty in the year Ists and 1810 , and alNo the
number of persons borne on the Admiralty Establishment, and
the amount of cuinpensation granted to to uperaunuated Clerks
since 1610. . _

. .....
Mr. Caoaast did not see the necessity for the Return for
which the Noble Lord had moved, since all the information lie
asked for would be found in the Estimates already laid on die
table.

Curd NI:GINT.3 motion wits agreed to.
JUVENILE APPOINTMENTS.

Lord Itt.-rtis moved for a copy of the appointment of Master
George, as secretary to the Province of Nova Scotia ; and also
that the return snould state the age of the young gentleman at
the 'Mica his appointment.
Mr. linoun ti ►AI NV I.lsed ad so to add to the Return the name
of the Rchool tient Which the young gentleman was taken.—
(o laugh.)
Lord Mrt.Tott also moved for the appointment of another
Master George to the same office, with a ait:Attquent of his age,
and the mane otitis deputy.--Ordered.
THE SECRETARY OF THE ADMIRALTY.

Mr. 31E1111;ra said, he had now to bring forward a question
of a most serious nature, namely, to coquire into the circum-
stances attending the increase of the solaries of the Secretary
and Under Sccretaiy to the Admiralty. Le bringing forward
this nnestion, he should also adseit to the increase mark: to the
salaries of the Commis•iimers of Customs and t:scise in Scot-
land; and drawing the attention of the house to this subject,
he trusted he should not be suspected of any nisei to moil with
the measures of the Noble Lord and ha colleagues. On the
contrary, he wished to see public services rewarded, hut tin
orrery prolniudi laid with them ; they were to prove that these
increases of sahuies, especially that to the Secretaries of the
Admiralty Were consistent with economy mid the duty they
owed to the poinie. Tile lion. Member there proceeded to
comment ou the advance which had been made to the saLary
of the Secretary of dm Admiralty of WOOL a year, stud on. the

51

Order in Council directing that the salary should be the same
in time of peace as in time of war. The reasun assigned was,
that no decrease took place in the salaries of Secretaries of
other offices, and that all ought to be treated alike; this objec-
tion might easily have (teen obviated by allowing the reduction
in the salary of the Secretary to the Admiralty, and to extend
it also to all the other public- Secretaries. The objection to
ineemility world thushave been dote awry.--(1-liar, hew. )--The
Hun. GetitlVlllall euucindyd by moving a Itesolation, declaring
that the I mouse highly approved of the Order in Commit of the
lath of June 1500, but cons:dered the subsequent order of the
gltil of June, MIS, as a misapplication alike public money.
Lord Caimans:Ann would never qua, rel with stay gentle.
man for nutting questions regularly, eapeciaily when, as the
Huu. illesether said in this ca •e, the onus prohmedi lain on Minis-
ters. He also agreed with the lion. Member, that this was a
very important question, as related to the general question of
economy, although inerete.e upon the partienlar office was but
small. He could therefore, at pre,ent, gist. the House but a
very imperfect outline of.what had been done, what was doing,
awl what was intended to be done. The correct details would
be laid before the House in a few days. Ile would now state,
roughly, that the reduction in the %I ar-Ottice woMd be about
40001. In the War Department there would al-a be very
considerable deduction—seven clerks and one under secretary.
In the Paymaster-General's office, the estah!ishinams abroad
would be rcdnced 51,0001. a year; and a further .-aving of
70001. WAS contemplated, and a reduction of 11 elsi as wadi!
mike a whole saving of 11,0tral. In the Civil branch of the
Commissariat there would be a reduction of upwards of
12)0001. Ia the Storekeeper's Office a reduction of 60901..
• had already taken p!ace; and a further reduction of 34001.
was in contemplatian. In the Barrack Department, a tarring
of 7001. had already been adopted, and other reductions were
determined on. lit the Admiralty, the salaries hail been re.
ilnced 301591. and a further reduction of WWI. would immediate-
ly take place. In the Navy Department, 1000 persons had
been discharged, and a saving tif 102,0001. introduced. In the
the. Victualling.Office, a reduction of '.25,0001. had been made,
and a saving of 2),(6001. more had been marked out. 'lire -
Transport Estaniishrnent would be &Inmost entirely reduced._
'('leer Ordnance, and sonic other offices, were nut M. this stata-•
bent; but the rough statement lie had just made produced a
total saving of 3111:0001.; a further saving upon these offices-of
91,0001. was contemplated, making in all tiall,oo.d. indepen-
dent of those others not included in the returns. He trusted
this statement woatil prove, teat his Majesty's Govennuent •
were not entirely occupied iu increasing salaries--( hear,
hear,)—Stith respect to the increase of salaries zit ea to the
Commissioners of Excise, it did not originate now; brit was
agitated in ISX, when a gentlemen on the other side of the
Howie were in office. The then commissions 1. made al a. -
plication for au increase of salary, which was mit,t ;Len compl:cd
with. They renewed their application to Mr. Perces al, and
that gentleman, whilst he withheld au Munediate increase, held
• out hopes, almost amounting to a promise, that with the re-
turn of peace, time adsauce should be made. The titans of
these gentlemen were weighty; they collected upwards oi 41)
millions of revenue, and the sum collected by the 1.011111.• • :alt-
ers of excise had increased 21..iimillions since uuy ativanc:.hart
been made to their salaries. This had greatly increased their
labours, and upon the grounds of increased labour it was that
his Majesty's Goveraineut bad acceded to a claim long since
made and well received. With respect to the next q
he was of opihion the Hon. Member had not adoptail a right
course ; in his opinion the proper coarse to have pursued would 2-
have been to object to the vote when the Navy Estimates came
before the Houle; and then, if it should appear that the pro-
posed vote of salary was too much, to reduce it. With respect
to the advance. lie farmil himself Loud to •ay, that no applica-
tion whatever was made by Ls lion. Friostil (Mr. Crokar) on
the subject; on the contrary, lie, as fir as his own individnal -
voice went, objected to it, 116 thiuking it might call for personal
observations on himself; the flier was, that the adva lice was madam
by the advice of the first Lord of the 'Eretisnry, the first Lord
of the Admiralty, 81111 the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who, .
after due consideration, determined that in every view of jus-
tice the advance ought to be made. The Whet! of Se:lcm ty
to the Admiralty was one of this utmost important in the Stale--
one of great labour, and by no Illeiill3 less so in peace than in .
war ; autl he must agaai repeat, that, as far as his Hon. talent' •
was concerned, the subject was fully rips it to discussiett, as he
had taken uo step whatever to obtain any addition to hisaalarv.
'l'bc Noble Lord, therefore, concluded Iry moving as au amend- -
ment, that the other Orders of the Day be now read.
Mr. H. MARTIN was nut at all satistied with the explanation,
of the Noble Lord, ;mil trusted the House would mint be turned
aside from entertaining the motion by the speech they had just
heard.

Mr. ROBINSON defended the measure. It tnicht indeed be
said that thi4 salary of Mel. a year WAS WO 1n YGh at any time ;
but as the duties of this °thee were equally etlicit,nt in linie.of
peace as in ttineof war, lie could see no reason why a difference
should be made, or that the salary should be mule inure at Gate -
tittle than at another.

Mr. Ilituen flaw said, the Noble Lord Itail desired, en a ror-
wt. night, that the House would wait till he could 114se au op-
portunity Of explaining this circumstance, and till ha -could
eater on his defence. The Noble Lord had said, his stakmanit
of retrenchment was only a rough sketch : lie would not, there-
fore, criticise it closely; hat he must advert to the first article
in the Noble Lord's list of retrenchment. Thi4 seas the War
Odice, an offiee erected for the purposes Of war only, and
which, therefore, he (Mr. B.) bad expected to hear it we.a en-
tirely done away. 'fbc Noble Lard, to his great 4.lisappotot-
went, stated, that a reduction of seven derkv toil vile Wider St rrt-
bery hid taken place. So much fur retrenchment in that guar-
141*. But there was one article of • retrenchment to which the •
Noble Lord had adverted in lofty terins, and that was the Ad-
miralty and Navy. Here the Noble Lord said, a rethietion of
upwards of 504.* Officers had taken place, and a saving had
been made of near 400,0:ild. Thisindecal looked like business, .
and he (Mr. IL) was most highly gratified to lieur spinach had .
been done; but upon eintuiry how (lid the fart tUtnont ?
that upwards of :moo of these officers were poor artificers, who
had for their labours in the Doek-yards received 14. or itid. :
delV. This was a mockery. Hon. Member then adverted .
to the reduction of the Conunis,ariat. nod contended, that it
was still more trilling than that in the Navy Ilepartnicat.. The
Hun. bent. said, he begged now to lie understood es memiing
nothing of personal disrespect either to Mr. Cruker or to Air.
harrow ; but he must say, that thus taking money out of the
pockets of the pidilic to pat into theas, was no less than it gross, .
scandalous, and profligate Job.
Mr. PELL said, it Was with a feeling of Indignation that he
had heard the unfounded and impst imputations of the lion.
Gentleman between the increase of salary now pruposed and
other circumstances unconnected with the. sou e: It was .
as fair to represent this as a scandalous Job. lie t „tended
that this was -a question of pramilde,,whether the salaries of
Civil Officers should be less in tune ut peace than in einie of .
war.