The Savannah morning news., 1900-11-30
QUEER nRITIsH PENSIONS.
Salaries raid to incumbent. Of Of
hces THAT Rave Been abolished.

IN commerce Is constantly face 20 face
with the necessity Of reducing or rear
ranging its stafs ana II contribute. 70.
ri"dicaliy 10 the great army Of unem-
ployed
It Is inevitable. The operation Of every
important new law involves diminish
i've changes when throw whitehall mo
temporary chaos aud nectss!tate thr 4ba-
H'.on or reconstruction Of certain Offices
ANA 90 such cases somebody mus "a
Somebody who has sat On 1, eo,e. mn, ~,
Stool for twenty years receives the init
nation that mis- stoo Is done with Il T.
common de4u ion that there Be- no in
Ttchfiy IN Govern ment posts There h.
OF course, much more than Ordinary -
eutitS' nut even a government post some
ufnes comes 10 an end through no fautt
of the man who holds IT, and there a.e
neutrality-suspicious. thousands peonle
VINO are to-day idle through the opera-
TON OF laws passed by Parliament.
hul " there Is no perpetulty o. work
uiner the government there s. vh,t
many people will think great deal bet.
ter-perpetuitv uf pay.
once paid. always paid" tho happy
condition Of thousands Of government en-
pioyes. Hundreds OF thousands OF rotinis
are paid from the public purse every year
10 people who DO nothing at an for N
lhey may have sat on government t-ols
years and years ago: they may have cook.
81 prison food AZ Dartmoor: they may
have been judges or chapiains IN some
niue corner Of the empire. where they
are no longer wanted They NAV have
been housekeepers iaundresses. taller. Ia
borcrs. ministers. governors. consuls II
matters not our generous government
compcugnfeQ them ali
II gives us a very kindly feeling to
ward our government system 70 remsm-
bcr that the crown r. stll paying about
100 year 20 laundresses and housekeep-
ers who lost their washing and house
keeping through the removal Of the law
courts from Westminster Hall twenty
years ago.
There Is a field laborer somewhere who
has received 1915 guineas year for a
quarter Of century because the Official
surveyor OF the United Kingdom had
nothing more for him so do
Even the House OF Lords abolishes
something sometimes. and seventeen years
ago 81 made up It's mind 10 a really big
effort. and abolished the housekeepsr OF
its crown Office. who has received fi3 a
year ever since.
And the Queens sweep. too whose Of
flee was demolished TO make way for the
Parliament street improvements was Civ
en- the handsome sum Of f750. IN spite OF
the fact thas he may SIN 10 on sweeping
the chimneys Of buckingham Palace and
Windsor Castle. as his family has done
FOR century and a half
The abolition or consulships chaplain
cies and Judge hips abroad during the last
thirty years Is SIN costing the treasury
several thousands "a year ia compensa-
ton. and IL Is surprising 60 ind that the
public purse Is still feeling the strain
caused upon II by the changes eonFe-
quent upon the setting up OF the Divorce
Court IN the hfties.
The courts Of justice. where changes
have been frequent. pay a good deal more
than f2o.0nO a year 20 men who have been
thrown idle by changes IN the admins
tration Of justice. The Chsncery Division.
for example. has for several years past
sent a check for as 90 an old man, who
through the operation 81 some new act.
was deprived OF the privilege OF selling
forms az the court
There are on the compensation list OF
the same court preacher at rolls" re-
ceiving 100 year. though he never
breaches sermon: a housekeeper who
has not kept house for seventeen years
but receives RS a year. and a caretaker,
who draws a no Bank OF England note
for annually taking care OF nothing
All these people be II remembered are
distinct from the old age pensioners OF
the government who come under another
head. Most OF them are stan able and
willing 70 work when something turns up
and all Of them have been the victims
the lucky victims. very often--of some act
Of Parliament or some administrative
change.
II may seem q stroke OF good fortune
"a ~ nffH ~ hsr L.
often enough Il Is. The consul al st. Pc
tersburg. who was sent home with 1000
year. because there was 10 room for
him In Anglo Russian diplomacy. Is no
doubt well satisfied
The patent Office decided six years ago
to do without q superintendent Of publ.
cations, and that officlal who had been
In receipt of 1900 q year. was Fivnn 30
year 20 stay az home but here was a
di~iinct saving Of i750 year which prob
ably inflicted little real hardship on any
body
Whether tho recipients Of tho state COM
pcnsation appreciate their release from
work or not. they accept a. knowing that
Al any time thoy may be called back"
our friend the laundress of tho Com
mon Pleas ENchcquer might be called
upon tomorrow 10 prepare the robes ~
tho new chief justice. and the penalty OF
refusal would be the loss 81 her allow
ance And the ST. Helena storekeeper.
who has been paid n q week fer doing
nothing since he was a young man. must
lose his n a week or keep HE eye on
Gen. Cronje n the government ordered
him to do 80.
A. a matter Of fact. no subject of the
Queen has any right 10 refuse any post
n called upon 90 take Il for the public
good, whether Il be that OF Prime Min
lister or country postmau: but the SOW
eminent "ou; OF works" are under a Epe-
cial ban IN this respect.
IL Is the one check the state has on
the abuse OF its philanthropy. and one
means the state can exercise 20 cut down
these expenses. Nobody would attempt
for . moment % stop this generosity OF
the government, which balances MANY
petty meannesses--thouRh the compensa-
ton OF a dustman by the Boarl OF Trade
by TO means 5ustiaes thc neglect OF a col.
dier BY the war once
But there ought 70 be limits even 90
the generosity Of the state. aud u Is
good 10 sec thar the government spent
un.oCO last year 10 redeem annual ray
rrlents 20 people Nho have never earned
them. and wro know httla or nothing of
the reason why they were granted
There e no sense N either pensions or
concentrations which lat forever. md
perhaps some widcaWake official viii al
cover some day that somebody Is sull