The Evening post. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889, 1888-12-24
YICTORlA,S GRANDCHILDREN.
How She Proposes TO Provide for Them
without Costing Herself Anything

How She Proposes 30 Provide for Them
without Costing Herself Anything.
1t Is in contemplation, says Labouc-
chere in London Truth, TO cut down the
salaries of the Lord Chamberlain and the
Lord Steward from 60 600 each to $500
each the master Of the horse is to be re-
duced from e2,50O to $500, and the
captains of the gentlemen-at-arms and
the yoeman of the guard, respectively,
are to he dealt with in similar way. 1t
is certainly preposterous. that wealthy
peers should receive large salaries Tor
performing ornamental duties at court
and their "perquisites' are also very
handsome. The Duke of Portland. for
example, gets e2, 500 year, with the Use
of q suitable number of the royal car
riages, horses and servants.
l hear that it is also intended to de-
prive the eight lords-in.waiting of their
salaries Of 600 year each, or, rather,to
pay them certain sum for every turn
of duty, which in many cases would
mean no emolument whatever, as the
| Queen never requires the attend
ance of lord waiting during her
residence at Osborne and Balmoral. The
chapels royal, which cost about e12,OOO a
year, are also to be considerably reduced,
and it is in contemplation to abolish the
royal haunt altogether-a reform which
| take 1t would meet with very general
approval. The sinecure parliamentary
offices of treasurer and controller OF the
household $500 year each) will be
amalgamated and the salaries cut down
to one Of $500; and a similar course will
be taken with the posts Of vice cham.
berlin and comptroller, the former OF
which is parliamentary and the latter
permanent
Moreover, the richer permanent offices
in the,household are to be dealt with in q
similar way, and in the meantime, pend
ing the delivery of the "secret and con
tldential" report of the commission
no offices are to be filed up--not even
the vacancies in the body-guard.
The result Of all these changes wher
they come into operation will be very
large annual saving, and l am informed
that instead Of this money coming bach
to the country it is to be appropriated by
privy purse with the ostensible objec
of making n provision for the Queens
grandchildren. What with Her Majesty
own accumulations during the las
forty-eight years, for saving commenced
directly after Prince Albert's arrival IL
.he country, and his ..immense fortune
and the quarter of million which Mr.
Nield left to the Queen, l should sa!
that there must already be ample fund
enough to provide most literally for tn
Connaught, Christian, ALBANY and Bat
tenburg families, who are the only one
in need of assistance
1t strikes me as doubtful, however
whether these changes can be mad
without the consent of Parliament. The
amount requisite for the civil list was re
ported on by committee of the Hous
of Commons. and this amonnt wa
arrived at by an estimate of the total rt
qulred to meet certain charges whic
were deemed part and parcel of III
attributes of royalty. If these charge
are no longer incurred it is obvious that
as matter of honesty if not of.law, tn,
accounts saved should go into the ma
toinal eXchequer.