The Sun.
London, England, 1833-03-08 00:00:00

MASTER OF THE REPORT OFFICE.

Mr. HUME wished to know from the Noble Lord
(Althorp) whether any step bad been taken with respect
to the office of Master of the Reports in Chancery.
Lord ALTHORP said, that upon the office of the Mae.

ter of the Reports becoming vacant the Senior Registrar
claimed the place as a matter of right. The Lord Chan-
cellor thought differently, and considered himself entitled
to make the appointment. Upon inquiry, however, it
appeared to have been the regular practice for the Chief
Registrar to succeed to the office, and therefore the Lord
Chancellor gave way. His Noble Friend, however, stated
to the then Chief Registrar that a Bill was in preparation
by which the office of Master of the Reports would be
abolished, and that if, with that information before him,
the Chief Registrar chose to take the office, he might
have it. The Chief Registrar under these circumstances
accepted the office. it bad been attempted on the death
of the late Master, Mr. Weeks, to do without filling up
the office at all. That, however, had been found to be

impossible without other arrangements; for at present the
Accountant-General of the Coui t of Chancery could pay
no money whatever without the order of the Master.
The matter then stood flaw —A person had been ap-
pointed to the office with a knowledge on his part that it
was to be abolished, and a Bill was preparing for that
purpose, and would be ready in a few days. The case,
however, of the person who had accepted the office was a
peculiar one. The office of Chief Registrar had been filled
as a matter of course by the second Registrar. The office
of Chief Registrar was a laborious one, while that of
Master gave its possessor little to do. Now, if the office
of Master was abolished, the present possessor of it would
have nothing unless provided f,r, and therefore it was
intended that he should have a retiring allowance.—
(Hear, and a laugh.) He perfectly well understood that
cheer, but he thought the course ptoposed only proper.
The present Master had been forty-seven years in the pub-
lic service; and he might, considering his state of health,
had he been so disposed, have retired two years ago on
the retiring allowance apportioned fur a service of forty-
five yeats. He therefore could not think thet there would
he any extravagance in allowing him now a retiring allow-
ance. The public would certainly not be losers by the
arrangement. An office worth 4,0001. or 5,0001. a year
would be abolished, and a retiring allowance would be
given to a person who had been in the public service 47

years.
Mr. ROBINSON hoped to see these offices abolished
altogether.
GRADUATED REDUCTION IN SALARIES, &c.
Mr. HUDSON moved a resolution to the effect that
there ought to be a graduated reduction in the pay and
salaries of all persons employed in the public service, and
in all superannuation allowances, half-pay, and pensions,
of five per cent., when the salary was under 5001. a year;
ten per cent. when it was above 500/. a year, and under
1,000/. a year ; fifteen per cent. when it exceeded 1,000/.
a year and was under 2,000/. a year; twenty per cent.
when it exceeded 2,0001. a year, and was under 4,0001.
a year; and twenty-five per cent. when it was above
4,0001. a year.

Mr T. ATTWOOD felt it his painful duty to second
the motion.—(A laugh.) He was very well aware that
h
the holders of places and pensions would feel it a great
to be deprived of any of their present receipts,
but he was also well aware that, during the last seven
years, the manufacturers and the merchants had possessed
ao income only through the decomposition of their capital.
He was well aware that for tLe :ant az.•:l years the
productive chases of the country had been destitute of

,
therefore those in place could not object te
o,3,„ptC:
to a certain extent in a shriller way. There
ty
of persons employed by Government f,,,`•:‘, fought
.4
the comforts of life ; their means had been,rieblel.6;uil
great resiect—he meant the military. 11',/,. nut,,
they did
battles of their country, and
they, if the present system was persevered ine,. sso 61.1
to a reduction. Their pay had been rais
effeso
day to 13/d. a day, and, unless some change
wag
that pay could not be continued.
hair.
The motion was then put from the C
twice ,ffirr
Mr. HU3IE said that the House
hid
blic serss
the principle that the salaries of the pi, proof
should be made, as much as possible' trras. Prori/t
to the circumstances of the country. '""
of the Honourable Member, however, 'vac
ticable, at least with anything like j° titroes, ishir
were returns upon the table of the I•l°°e'eiyieg f'et
it was evident that there were persons tee
tb3, the
or 4001. a year who ought to he paid more,: 3 ece4,
were persons receiving 1,500/. or .2,0001
ought not to receive half so much ; and tha't wheo
persons receiving 3,0001. or 4,000/. a year
tedta.
to have nothing at all. He therefore sugi'se9„rser
Hon. Friend, that no general rule like that now the
$,
with propriety be adopted. If, bore" ;Irodf ih;
Member would propose that the principles be
down should be carried rigidly into force,
the" isesol'
most happy
to support him. He knew that 0 when
had taken stops for reducing the salaries in ca!, 5 toles
increase had been given, and he was atilwavispr't
whether that system was still persevered in,' 0144.
ciple bad been admitted by the Treasury, anu .44v,
but the only way to put it tliorimehly in at'''. 't
Nn
Of fib If'
be to inti ust its assertion to a Committee
If Hon. Members would refer to the third reP"lreid doh'
Finance Committee, they would find it broadlYd oily;
that every officer ought to be adequately Pe3,,lsicric°°;
more than the lowest price at which equal agog $s
be obtained. One of the first ditties of that '',3t to'
to do away with retiring al.owances. There
i°t:libelll
no such thing; they were a great burden. 'n,oustrub;
office, for instance, the retiring allowance' 9--eOOl,,
25,000/. ta: 30,000/. a year, and many of tbe
possessed them were as well able in point of
serve the public as he was. sell,
;„ rii
Mr. RICHARDS was iwimately arclua- te
feelings and the wants of the industrious cla'se''lsboll
83 from great experience. The state of theot sad?
classes was dreadful. The whole head was
whole heart was faint. It might be very W'l
or t to
President of the Board of Trade to come daooreeperi'
House with his official returns, and ts 11; of $ relief;
which did not exist ; but that would afford a" toil!
suffering industry. That Right Hon. Gentleo3ooltiplk
produce a large multiplicand, but there was sat
fib
—(Hear.) There might be an immense trau:a't
were nu profits.—(Hear, hear.) Nor was ttbstttp,
wretched was the state cf the labouring class° -„aeee'llaro,
only with difficulty they could procure the hateiTebelieil
of life; comforts they had none. Indeed herea"/
that had it not been for the poor laws--"(1.:3lot,;
English labourer would have been reduced to (Oe'h
even a lower, state than the Irish labourer wst'oileit:tll
hear, hear.) And he went further; and beue re;
attention of the House to the fact, that if
system continued, it would pull down the uhlAutil:aelr,b,
to the condition of the labouring. The nisi"; 110:s
were now loyal to their Sovereign, and wislieus"eCotir's,
upper chases; they had no desire to destroY b'e toft',f
St. James's to give the predominance to the,C°ltusre
Giles's ; but nevertheless they must be relieved'
the Right Hon. Bart. (Sir Robert Peel) in I;esf. e,'
ing the currency, had done immense Iniscez"l- 011,4'
admirtd the eloquence of that Right 14°°,' ter;
but no man who aspired to the character 0' 74, :hr.('
had done more mischief by an interference wl""etildeol,
rency th in he had. He hoped that the subject t
only be eiscussed, but that the Right Hon. Baron:oil
either confess his error, or, throwing aside all, 'e) it
talk to plain men in a plain way.—(Hearr, uPir
cordially supported the motion, and be weaer
all such motions as long as the Ministers shove) 4,
sition to maintain a low scale of prices.---(lleaPiteoeily
Lord ALTHORP said, that his Hon. Friena
meat fr•
ber for Middlesex had asked him if the GOO o'4
desirous of pursuing the system laid down by stcrot Ott
Committee ? When he and his colleagues "•,iootef
upon office they submitted their salaries to I.o'l,
one of the reasons why they did so was, that theybess.
with the clearer justice revise the salaries of atebt la
agreed to the principle that government o'o ,
served as cheaply es possible. He was atrsLeersi°;
salaries in the Government departments
higher than those in private establishments; sad 4
not ao high as those in public companies. 'll "°;
the salaries in the East India House an in t'sll-01°.11•-itta
Companies were greater than those in the s'A-Istesh ••
departments. The plan at present recognit" adese('
that the salaries of the public officers were to °at !
portionate to those enjoyed before the alteratioato
fads
sequence of the depreciation of money; and tenCtl'tli
ject a report had been made respecting thsei it'll
Having adopted the principle he had allude",4o4blerk
been the inclination of his mind that the reP°' et 41
once to be acted upon, and the salaries reduced "f., stw
acute with it. He found, however, on making ft,"tpte
to carry his resolution into effect, that the pero3ri'd ups
ed made so many difficulties—(A laugh) eats
so many strong remonstrances against the aPr 'gate
the proposed reduction to their salaries-41'3°,1u el°
ie
cheers) —that he found it impossible to procoi aesesot
intentions, as he found the Government tw°ol,7 fit•
all these persons unwilling and discontented her•:serl'l,
would perform their work negligently. fie' et °f fit!
gave up his plan, during the time that the firle„ to
held their appointments with the determinaue",,o3
it into effect on every new appointment "Vseeded
,7
He thought the resultof"" Is'
a general scale
would he that many officers, who at present had to 5,
adequate'y remunerated for the dutis they bi'th°er
charge, would neglect those duties, and the''f thes'ot!
public would !.use in the diminished efficiencY,°„,
vice what they gained by the proposed reduct°•o4,e,
the principle of superannuations was bad he 801 ber(,
but still he put it to the House whether it wa'asesohl:oe
in all cases where officers were found °° coat'
to reduce them, subject to retiring pensions, thaasolls3o
them at the full rate of salary.—(Hear, heart) naole,rie
the subject of reductions he wished briefly t° e it(lav!fte
those which had been effected since the presentee,
tration came into office. In the first Plarsiserigit
Commissioners of Excise had been altogethesre -,t,le Yso
(Hear, hear)—aud on the resignation of a '''',ecloceff
one of the Commissioners retained upon that
t'hi, 'IL"
his place had not been filled up.—(Hear.)
goO
considerable saving had been effected, and be ',,se'„", de/ ci"
that ere long another Commissioner in the same "''d'. ter
be reduced.--(Hear, hear.) So far Ministers 'tat be
eally evinced every disposition to economy;
~,,btiuse the
happy to have it in his power to inform the 110",enileosi',
was shortly inten led to appoint a Commission bat
that appointed some time since, to ascertain
tion could be effected in the revenue departr°e"
duty it would be to constitute a rigid iu'l°isitlefte,see
constitution pf the Board of Excise, with a Ines-0 ber"tli
ing what reductions were practicable; and w'"er-,e °,l'etsti
tinned that the individual selected to take cba'' '•'e
sir „,„.11
Commission was his Right Hon. Friend io
Parnell—(Cheers)—a gentleman who, wisp -sch'etal
get root
tso
men', had always advocated economy and
he thought lie would be offering best P Oleos
the ,
Ministers were sincere in their rofessi°e'roo" Olt
hear.) It was not, however, merely by redu;t cue bell
Government contemplated effecting a saving eddy dt e'
penditure of the country. They bad see tueesi
able to consolidate some of the Boards, and heafectejtil
before long, further consolidations could teas
that it ph '4O •
(Hear, hear.) Indeed l •h he =get mention e stece •t,
under • •
consideration whether the hoards ) 13,15 r,
taxes might not be consolidated.---(Hear, heave) all!t!"/
means one officer would have to diecbarge t"„-Sj
present reposed in the distributor of etaair at" f the
lector of taxes—a change which, indePeadeia•loco
duction of a number of commissioners reee,"ssysnr.) :str,
laries, would effect an immense saving.--"L—s-:stt''sej
Government, he could assure the House, tva'
possible to meet the wishes of the country reg need
no qu jeJ
trenchment, and in satisfying those wishes
kitten is
beeferaticirje
patronage or motive of self interest would
—(Hear, hear.) With reference to any cons'
o,oilf-tv!
every Pore,
that of giving satisfaction to the people
duction would be effected; and, what was 'a Ohre
) 140°.
should be effected immediately.—(llesr, he.ari! the a-tfa:
that the statement be had made would sans .be
.r,,
wish that
he would conclude by expressing a
•sotion•-"-‘ sal
Member would not persevere in his 13
vee, 1,0!
The effect of the reduction which it had in
it,:t 0,41:001
both unequal and p trtial. But it wia!io able. gfe,
grounds alone that he considered it object'
dne _ asio,
a reduction in the salaries of officers be mbae °Y
duties
soo'd
dusted scale, and without looking to t. io sist
they had to perform, the effect would be
the
s_"_';epue 7.00 f
—and he might in particular mention thrL,ligenii(
—to hold out a strong inducement either too!„,ert",si
fraud.—(Hear, hear.) He repeated that no,trpos
for effecting reductions should be lost, a
_lthdiso
pledge he trusted the motion would be be his_tia•
(Cheers.) If that were not the case it wow"
ebtatrrieutt
to oppose it ; and out of doors there was everY
ss,oo
such an opposition might be construed into a -es

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to being 01
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in, Oust ,L,
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