The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-06-09


Noble ThurstOn recognized the fact
that the House must use economy,
but economy was misplaced when it
whitfield off salaries of working mem
bers of the Government. The busi-
ness of the Court was double what it
used to be, and the clerk was often
busy at work at P. NJ. when every
body else was gone. He would move
the salary remain as before, viz,
$1,000.
Noble Parker would gladly support
the view of Noble Thurston, but he
saw no justice in giving the Clerk of
the Supreme Court more than the
clerks of other departments. 1t was
only justice to make it $4,000.
Rep. Ashford said the Clerk of the
Court was an excellent friend of his,
but his duty to the public would not
permit him to vote for more than the
amount in the bill. He agreed that,
in general, it was not well to cut down
the pay of hard worked officers; but,
under certain circumstances, that
course might be necessary. Every
body's income was shrinking now,
and he saw no reason why the salaries
of Government officials should not
respond to the general condition of
the nation. $4,000 was always con-
sidered sufficient until 1890, and it
was as much as the country could
now afford to pay. The income of the
planter had shrunk almost to nothing ;
the income of professional men was
shrinking-so was that of laborers. He
was talking yesterday with two Eng
lish laborers; one had earned $3.50 in
a week, the other 81 in thirty days,
and they were reduced to diet of tea
and bread. $4,000 meant twenty-five
ten-dollar gold pieces at the end of
every month, and this officer had no
Different and stationery to pay.
There would be plenty of professional
men glad to earn that before the year
was out. A nation in bad luck should
regulate its expenses accordingly.
When revenues were short, expenses
should be curtailed The Registrar of
Public Accounts had larger response
bilities than the Clerk of the Court,
and he was put in at $4,000 only.
There were large number of officers
who had received $1,000 during the
past period, but if the Legislature
would vote it to them again, then the
speaker mistook the temper of the
House and the signs of the times.
Noble J. M. Horner agreed fully
with the last speaker. If we did not
realize now what we were approach
ing, we would before the end of the
year. Retrenchment was the cry of
the last campaign. This had been
forced on the plantations, and large
reductions had been made, and yet
some of them were winding up. If
the creators of wealth can't live, how
can the money be collected to pay
these excessive salaries ? excessive
under the circumstances. This officer
was said to work hard-very likely.
On the plantations the men worked
all day, from in the morning till
at night, for one hundred dollars a
month. Some of them were able men
who could probably fill this place.
He had intended to move q reduction
to $500, and he would now so move.
Noble Baldwin was not pres
ent when the discussion COM
menced, but agreed with the last
speaker, that it was a poor time to
raise on salaries. The idea of reducing
salaries was, nevertheless, a danger
Gus one, as the services were likely to
become poorer. The Government was
like large plantation. The method
he had adopted was to cut down very
little on the leading men; but to tell
them that he was going to put more
work on them, so that the amount
paid for that class of work was really
less. If the men were not able to get
what they were worth they would go
elsewhere. He was opposed to the
reduction of Minister'S salaries. In
this bill, the salary of the Chief Clerk
was reduced, but an item for extra
clerical hire was inserted. That
was poor economy. Something
similar had been done further
on in the bill. He did not
believe in that course; the men should
be we'll paid, do more, and get along
with fewer clerks. AS the budget was
made up, however, he could not sup
port an item above the amount in the
bill.
Noble Macfarlane appreciated the
necessity of retrenchment, but he
agreed with Noble Baldwin that it
was a mistake to decrease the pay of
the efficient officers of the Govern
ment, the chief clerks of the depart
ments. The Appropriation bill did
not show that salaries were scaled as
they should be. There was very little
reduction in the force or in the sal
aries, except as to the chief clerks.
With the depression in business
bound to ensue, it was obvious that
the work of Government officers
would be reduced also. He held, there
fore, that 1t should not be necessary to
keep all these clerks; some of them
might be discharged. An economical
chief would be able to dispense with a
clerk here and there, so that at the
end of the period some of these items
would be uneXpended balances in the
Treasury. He held that the Chief
Clerk of the Treasury with his work
and his responsibilities should not be
cut down, and | do not believe he
would remain if his salary were cut
down very materially. The same
argument applied to the Chief CLERK
of the Interior Department. All these
chief clerks were kept busy, and haC
no time for outside work, wherea.
many deputies did have. If economy
was to be practiced, the reductions
should commence with subordinates
who were paid too much in compari
son with clerks down town, who go
less and did more. The same princi
pies should govern here as in every
| DuSIneSS nOuSe. IHe urS6 GuluS I'D u
done was to discharge supernumer
aries, and then to reduce the pay O
those who remain, but not of the hea'
clerks.
Noble Neumann said that his pro
position was ignored altogether. HI
did not favor raising any salary, bu
he contended merely that the reduction
made by the Cabinet was too much
1t was easy to pose as the watch do
of tho Treasury The sneaker dis