Star.
London, England, 1822-03-12 00:00:00

desired to leave in the full enjoyment of the salaries'
they now had, with the exception of a reduction of
10 per cent. upon that portion of salary it was in-
tended to remit on the next appointment. Thus one
who now had a stipend of 10001. a year, which it was
intended to reduce to 8001. would pay 5 per cent,
upon the 8001. and 10 per cent. on the other 2001.
He assured the House that it was much easier to stand
up there and propose reductions of 25 per cent. and
such like, than to carry them into effect out of doors.
Even those who made the proposal,when they came
to fin.' how difficult and painful the task was, would
not have the heart to execute them. Tke reductions
which Government had made already had been suffi-
ciently painful. After laborious inquiry, assisted by
every official return that could throw light on the
subject of investigation, a Circular had been ad-
dressed to all the Heads of Departments by the Lords
of the Treasury, laying down the principles upon
which reductions were to be effected. The object in-
culcated was, the reducing salaries and establishments
to a level with those Which existed in 1796 and
1797, as far as was practicable. The e principles
'had throughout been the guide of their operations,
and he hoped his Majesty's Government would re-
ceive due credit for the diligence they had used.
He-would shew the House how these principles had
'been made to operate on the Treasury. In 1796 the
numbers of that Department were—two Secretaries,
four clerks, six assistant clerks, ten supernumerary
clerks, and others, making in all thirty persons. The
whole amount of their salaries was '20,0001. On the
.sth of January last, there were two Secretaries, one
assistant Secretary, four chief clerks, one assistant,
six senior clerks, eleven assistant clerks, and fourteen
junior clerks, which, with twelve persons in the Ile-
venue branch, and one other, made fifty-three in the
whole. Upon a comparison of the business done in
elk department now and in 1796, it appeared that in
the latter year the number of papers registered and
examined was 4463. In 1821 the number of papers
considered and registered was 24,890, the former
being only one-sixth of the latter. With regard to
emolument, it appeared that the average annual
meipts of a Secretary to the Treasury,

For The three years ending 1779, was ......£3400
For the three years ending 1731 5lOO
Tor the tree years ending 1797 5400
For the three years ending 1800 4000

It was now proposed to restore the amount to 3400/.
—what it was in 1797. The Chief Clerk, in the
years trom 1779 to 1781, received 1278/. when in the
year 1797 it was reduced to 8801. but the clerks had
then assistants, which had since been abolished. It
appeared, therefore, that in point of pecuniary emo-
lument their situations were as valuable then as they
are now, their salary being 1200/. The establish-
ment was to be composed of two Secretaries, one
assistant, four chief clerks, one additional, six senior
clerks, and eleven assistants, making with the Re-
venue clerks thirty-six persons, the number in 1797
having been thirty. He next called upon the House
to compare the aggregate amount of salary, and
in the statement he was about to make he par-
ticularly required the House to consider the pro-
priety of making the rise in salary dependent upon
the progress of time, and not upon promotion. It
must certainly appear very hard that a person should
remain at the lowest rate of salary merely because
an opportunity for promotion did not occur.
The regulations for the future were as follows :—The
chief clerks Were to receive 12001. the senior clerks
6001. with an allowance of 201. a-year till they reach
8001. which would require ten years service. The
assistant clerks and juniors, from the time they enter
the office till fifteen years, were to have 3001. and at
the end of twenty years 400/. till they became chief
clerks. They were to begin at 1501. and continue at
that for three years, after which time they were to
receive an annual increase of 101. An assistant clerk,
who now received 3001. a-year, and a consideration
for length of service, was to receive 3001. a-year, and
151. annually, till it reached 5001. but no claim for
previ()us service. The minimum was the same, but
the progression was very different. The senior clerks
far the future were to have 6001. a-year, but not be-
yond 800/. and when it was considered that there
was so small a number of persons at the head of the
Treasury Department, and that they held their offices
so long, that sum would not appear too much. The
chief clerks commencing with 1200/. would stop at
1500/. The aggregate of these different regulations
compared with 1796, was as follows:—The total
amount in 1796 was 19,940/.—the total now paid
was 56,770/. compounded partly of salaries, and
partly of consideration for length of service. The
minimum was 46,0001. but supposing all to have
performed the period of service prescribed to ob-
tain the highest rank of salary, the maximum would
be 64,5301. By the new regulations, the minimum
was fixed at 41,9001. and the maximum 48,0001.—
The reduction, therefore, was, in the difference be-
tween 64,0001. and 48,000/. being 34 per cent. dimi-
nution—(Hear, hear). The only other office he
should mention was the Secretary of State's Office, in
which a similar reduction had taken place. Last year
the numbers were 31, now they were 30. The mini-
mum was then 18,0001. and now it was the same ;
but the maximum which was then 28,0001. was now
21,0001. exclusive of the reduction of five per cent
—(clear). Through all the departments his Ma-
jesty's Government had proceeded upon the same
principles, and had effected the same extent of reduc-
tion—(Hear, hear). The Revenue Departments were
undergoing the same revision, which he would not
then detail to the House. He must not omit to ex-
press his gratitude the Heads of Departments, for
the cordial co-operation and able assistance he had
met with from them, without which he never could
have got through what he had undertaken. He felt
this the more sensibly, as the task itself was so far
from being a grateful one ; and he begged to assure
'the House that nothing but the commands of the
Crown, and the weight of the declared wishes of
Parliament could have enabled the undertaking to
be effectually accomplished as it had been. Before
he placed in one point of view all the general re-
ductions, lie would state that Government had gone
through all the other public departments a short time
before the meeting of Parliament. They had done
sill they could with the great Revenue Departments.
They had called before them the heads of these de-
partments, and availed themselves of their assistance
in pointing out any quarter in which they could apply
'the hand of retrenchment. The Customs were under
the examination of an intelligent Commission. Sere-