Star.
London, England, 1816-02-17 00:00:00

communising or teen& AND comma re EXITEAND.
. • Sir R. HERON took the opportunity. while the
Committee., was discuuing the financial. arrange-
ments of the .county, tip put a qoestiouto the Right
Hon. Gentler:ion opposite (the Chancellor of. the
Eichequer) concerning the salaries of the Officers of
Excise and Customs in Scotland. tie asked, whe-
ther their salaries had not 'been augmented ia the
course of this year. or even since the House met ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
replied, that the salaries of these officers had been in-
creased upon the ground of the increased duty they
were to perform. -
Mr. BROUGHAM was surprised at the mode
which the Ministers of the Crown had adopted of
carrying into effect their promised system of strict
economy and gradual redaction. They had pledged
themselves to the country, at the commencement of
the Session, that every practicable measure for re-
ducing our enormous establishments, that every me.
thod of retrenchment, that every plan for relieving
the people from their overwhelming burthens, would
be resorted to with promptitude and resolution; bur
now, instead of occupying themselves with endea.
voters to fulfil their promises ; instead of looking into
all quarters to discover where a saving might be
made ; instead of inquiring what useless officers
might be discharged, and what unnecessary places
abolished. thep were engaged in imposing upon the
nation additional burtheus, and increasing salaries
already too highly paid. His Majesty's Ministers,
it would appear, were to be divided into two parties,
one to be employed in retrenchMent and economy,
and the other in imposing taxes and augmenting emo-
luments. The Right Hon. Gentleman gave as a
reason for this advance of salary. that the duties of the
officers in question were increased. In reply to this be
would ask, was there no dinsunition of expenditure ?
Were not all the articles of living very much reduced
in price ? And would not a Scotch Officer enjoy the
advantage resulting from such a diminution as much
as others ? When the produce of agricultural labour
was so low, when a promise was held out that our
taxes would be diminished, when the half of that op.
pre:.sive impost, the property tax, was to be taken off,
even upon the proposal of the Right Honourable
Gentleman himselt: and the remaining halt, he
misted, would be ieeerisned in opposition to his wishes,
(this tax that weighed so heavily upon all the servants
of the pub: was this a time for augmenting sala-
ries, 'spot. the pretence of trifling additional duty ?
He was surprised at this prodigal disregard. of eve
nomy amid public distre.s. at this unnecessary addi:
tion to our expenditure; and he hoped the Hon. Ba-
ronet who had put the question which called forth
this alarming piece of intelligence, would 101 l ,er it up
with some specific motion.
Mr. GOUI.BURN complained of the unfair and
uncandid conduct of the Hon. and Learned Gentle-
man in his attack upon his Right Hon. Friend (the
Chancellor of the Exchequer).—(Hear, hear. from
the Umorition Beireher).—He believed the Hon. lien.
Clem ur's object was to make a speech at all events,
and to enter into invectives against the Government,
whether there was a foundation kr his charges on
not.—(Hear).—He could not but repeat it, that the
Hon. Geneeman wished to make a speech, and that
the eagerness with which he seized the, opportunity
ef advancing unwarrantable allegations against the
Geivernment was an indication i f his unfairness.—
The attack was perfectly gratuitous and uncalled for.
A question was asked of his Right Hon. Friend, to
which he returned a direct and candid answer ; when
up started the Honourable Gentleman to ground
upon ft misrepresentations and invectives. to which
the regular course of proceeding would not permit his
Right Hon. Friend to reply.
Mr. BROUGHAM explained, by saying that he
had made his observations on a proper occasion in
that Committee, as every consideration of supply was
connected with expenditure.
Mr. TIERNEY observed, that he thought every
public officer should be paid properly for his services,
but there surely could be no reason to propose an
augmentation of salaries in the present state of things.
Adverting to the professions ct the M;nisiry with re-
gard to retrenchment, he was naturally led to think
of the office which the Honourable Gentleman (Mr.
Goulburn) held, and to ask a question concerning
the appointment of a third Sect etary of W at.
(Hear, hear, and a laugh nu the opposition benche.4.)
What reduction of expenditure, what abilition of of-
fices, was taking place in that department ?
Lord CASTLEREAGH observed, that the Gen-
tlemen on the other side of the House, by the indul-
gence which his Majesty's Government had shewn
in answering candidly the numerous questions that
they were daily in the habit of putting, bad been en.
couraged to persevere in the system of questioning
on all occasions, as a part of their parliamentary tac-
tics ; but he hoped, that though indulgence was mani-
fested towards them to such an extent as to embolden
then) to proceed beyond the line of prudence, the Mi-
.,
filters of the Crown would be found prepared to
evince proper firmness, and in giving or is ithkolding
answers, would not relax from their strict parliatneu-
tory duty. He must, vindicate the opinion of his
Right Hon. Friend, in saying that the object of the
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Brougham) was to make a
speech, and to fix charges upon toe Administration
without examination or fairness, but anticipated from
his efforts little success. The system of asking ques-
tions, the regular tactics of Gentlemen opposite, was
now perfectly well understood and justly appreciated,
both within the House and without. by persevering
in it, they might produce a little temporary effect;
they might enjoy a five minutes' triumph; but they
rather injured than promoted their cause. They
wasted their efforts uselessly, and every repetition
of their artifices weakened their future efficacy:—
The public had happily learned what weight be-
longed to charges or professions, and the Mitinters of
the Crown would not be driven to betray their duty
or to make premature disclosures by the violence of
their charges, or the keenness of their invectives.—
They would make up their minds upon the proper
policy to be pursued s and when they had done so,
they would lay it in a regular manner before the
House, and the Hon. Gentlemen would receive an
answer to their questions, or not, as public duty would
dictate. 'the Noble Lord knew that the Hon. Gen-
tlemen opposite (Mr. Brougham) intended to make
this a very active Session by discussions upon politi-
cal economy. He and-his Hon. Friends were right
in confining themselves to this subject. They could
out well wooed probably is any other. He would