Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 164, 10 July 1880, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1880.

Erom the explanation given in the House by Mr Hall yesterday afternoon of the interpretation put by the Government on Mr Saunders' resolution it appears thai tbe intention is that the incidence of the ten per cent reduction should be left to Ministers. The House decides that reductions to that amount are to. be made ; the Executive are to carry out those instructions in such a manner as shall appear to them to be least detrimental to the public service. This is as it should be, for the Parliament is cer tainly not in a position to deal with a matter of this kind in detail, as the members cannot be expected to be as well acquainted as Minsters with the work of the. departments. It is quite sufficient for them to issue the order ; it is for Ministers to carry it out. We are glad to see tbe Government taking up this position as it shows that they are not desirous of shirking the very disagreeable duty that must devolve upon them. They most certainly committed a grave mistake in permitting, or rather in arranging with, a private member to bring forward the reduction resolution, as it was clearly their duty to lead the House in the matter, and by not doing so they gave rice to the suspicion that they were shrinking from a responsibility, which, however unp'easant it might be, they could not in honor avoid. This suspicion will, to a large extent, be removed by their present action. Of course, it Would relieve them of much of the odium that they will otherwise incur if they had merely to say to each officer, "it is.the will of the House that ten per cent is to be taken from your salary and we have bo alternative but to do as we are bidden," but the unfairness and injustice of such a course are so palpable that they have declined to pursue it. To the aggregate reduction they have willinglyconsented,but they stipulate that its apportionment is to be left to them. With regard to the effect of these reductions on the community generally we cannot but think there is some little misunderstanding. There are mauy who believe that by lessening the salaries of the Civil Servants the common burden will be relieved without causing the least inconvenience to others than those who are made to bear directly their additional share. Thia is clearly a mistake, for tbe spending power of so large a section of the population cannot be suddenly reduced by £170,000 — the amount proposed to be saved — without tbe withdrawal of so large a sum being felt more or less by all w ho are engaged in trade. Nelson, perhaps, will be one of the least affected by this sweeping retrenchment, for amongst tbe "oddities" with which she is occasionally credited, may be included*the fact that she is not dependent upon Government expenditure for her existence, but a very limited amount of either revenue or loan finding its way to this portion of the colony. In Wellington, which is fed with public money, the crash will be something appalling, and there is a rude awakening in store for many of the residents in that pampered city, who are now sweetly dreaming that by lightening the purses of the Civil Servants the liabilities of the colony are to be met without their own being touched. .