Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-06-07
Salaries In the British Government Oa;ces z7,s,,.

in the British Government
of tAc Employees.
In the House of Commons, on the 1st ult Mr.
Henley brought forward motion respecting salaries
and emouments of Office, his ect being to obtain
reduction thereof The London correspondent of
the National Intelligencer gives sketch of the in
tercstng debate the OCCASION and from it. we ex
tract as follows:
Mr. Henley's object was to show that, in consc
quence OF the decrease IN price of almost every art
Gle OF use or consumption salaries and perqustcs of
once should experience similar reduction.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer said the charge
Tor salaries had been reduced from e3763OOO in
1915, to G2, 1856, 900 in 1885 and enumerated the
various othees where reductions had taken place
In the excise office alone nearly half million was
now paid annually below the expenditure of 1888
A great reduction had also taken place in the ex-
pense of collecting the revenue for instance, in the
customs, it was in 1848, f5 los. Cd. in 1850, G5
lbs. I'd. In the excise it was, 1913 f6 Is. Id; in
1850, 85 13s cd. In the stamp Office, it was in
184o, t2 Is I'd; in $780, 60 0s. I'd In the assess
ed taxes, it was in 1848 E3 6s Sd; in 1850, 93 5s
Sd.
He said Mr.. Henley had overlooked the effect
when the employment of machinery had produced
IN 1he price of manufactures and that many articles
entering into the consumption of families had either
increased In price or had not materially diminished.
Butchers meat for instance was higher in 1849 than
1t was In l843, and potatoes nearly double the price
Ii was we'll known that in every department of gov
Srnment there had been progressive increase of
business Government did not pay higher salaries
than were paid by other great establishments, and
the government officials worked quite hard as the
clerks in those establishments in private houses
OF business. The cashier of the Bank of England
had Fl, 400 year, with residence the assistant
cashier FL 600; the accountant 81 200 and the
assistant accountant E900. In the India House. sal
salaries were in similar position No doubt these
clerks rendered service for their money; he could
say the of those in the employment of govern
ment In the Bank of En- gland, the total amount of
salaries was 92ll9O3 annually, being only $4,000
less than the aggregate amount of salaries paid by
the Treasury, the Home office, the Foreign office. the
Colonial Office, the Prvy Council and the Boards of
Trade and Education, which amounted to G238, 900.
Sir Robert Peel came out strongly against the mo-
ton. and in favor of Ministers. He said:
The lowest salary in the government offices was
500 per annum. A young remained two or
three years at that salary which was perfectly in
sufficient; after certain length of service he re-
ceved E2OO it was not the amount of labor but it
the trust reposed in all those cases, which ought
to be considered. Secretary of State or Fist Lord
of the Treasury could not do his duty without en-
trusting secrets of state to who in the
receipts of G400 or $500 year and could an in
stance be adduced in which the confidence so reposed
had been betrayed Hear, hear. 1t was not the
amount of labor, but the extent of honorable conf
dence and nothing could be mischievous for
the public service than to reduce the emoluments of
these subordinate officers to make them I'M
tenable by men who if they had not the fortune
had at least the feelings of gentlemen 1t was for
ty years since he (Sir R. Peel) entered Office and
he was happy to have this occasion of bearing his
testimony to the scrupulOus fidelity which marked
the conduct of the subordinate officers to the abil-
ity which many of them possessed, and to the proofs
they had given that they worthy of great conf
dence He had heard of nsan in foreign countries
where important documents and secrets were stated
to have TRANSFERRED but he heard of instance
in which ust imputaton could be made against the
honor of the humblest employed in the establish
ments of this country. When he appointed First
Lord Of the Treasury he was allowed two secretaries
f0o Solo holm ooI e, ~
other-G300 and ESQ for two men as cognizant OF
what there to be done in a public Office as he
was himself He had no alternative but to select
two young men in the Treasury. He had to leave
them there without the means of marking the opin-
ion he entertained Of their services except by the
gratitude he had to express. But no two young men
could have faithfully fulfilled their duties The
account he was giving Of them must be the account
given Of those who occupied similar Offices in the de-
Dartments of the public service. He should vote a
gainst the motion, which calculated to infict
wrong upon men to many of whom the public were
under the greatest obligations.
Sir Robert Peel added that the total expenditure
of I849 was 8000000 But it would be an erro
neous impression if the public thought the whole ad
mitted of reduction; because, first. there was The
public debt to be provided for then the civil list anC
the naval and military half pay and that, deductn!
from the EDS, 100000, EDS 900 900 which could no
be reduced by the executive government the amour
of G13000000 was left as the area for reduction O
expenditure. He certainly did say it would counte
nance erroneous expectations, if from reductions
salaries the public were led to anticipate any grea
relief"
1t was stated. during this debate, that the numbe
of persons employed under the French government
was 235000 while in England the total number wa
below $4,000 and that there was country i
which the public service was 50 economically per
formed as in England The debate terminated wit
I73 members voting for the motion, and 2G9 agains
it, being majority of 90 for the Ministers.
Commerce and Mechanics.
We find the following remarks in the Philadelphia
Ledger They are in reply to writer who had al
tributed the prosperity of the city of Philadelphia
entirely to the commercial community. We coincid
in the business of the remarks, and think they Wi
apply with equal force to any other city The Ledge
remarks
Commerce, especially when free and unshackeC
is of the most important sources of wealth, nc
only to Philadelphia, but to all countries and to
ry city but there is another worthy of the most pro
found consideration, and which we are too apt t
overlook, from the quiet and unobtrusive walks
its labors. We allude to the mechanic arts whc
lie at the bottom of Philadelphia prosperity, an
have made distinguished in every foreign cOur
try for the beauty and sodty and speed of our loc
motives the superb elegance of our coaches the tast
and power of our fire engines the splendor of GU
household furniture, and the utility, in general,
all mechanical inventions and machinery to perfor1
and abridge labor. The mechanic arts are so fam
liar to that too often fail to appreciate then
They noiseless that we hear not their voice
except when we enter the factory. when hundreds
operatives building up the wealth of society,
their part, to aid the farmer and the fisherman
their productive avocaons, and who furnish all tt
materials for commerce Every department of labt
is the link of vast chain, but the mechanic ar