PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S SALARY.

NZ Truth, Issue 64, 8 September 1906, Page 6

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S SALARY.

The Hired Hand of the People.

Nobody denies that President Roosevelt earns his salary of £10, 000 a year ; but despite the great wealth of the. country and the importance of his office, there is no disposition amongst many of his countrymen to augment that amount.. The House of Representatives has refused to grant £5,000 for travelling expenses for t'he forthcoming year for the President, his family and guests, which sum would have relieved the President considerably, for he is not a rich man, and the cost of visiting different States officially, if he is obliged to pay his own expenses, will be a heavy burden. Hitherto, it is true, the railway companies have only

BEEN TOQ DELIGHTED to place a train at ,the President's disposal free but lately Mr Roosevelt has taken the view that it is very difficult to deal with some of the manifest railway evils which are cryine for reform if he accepts favors from the companies. He, therefore, sought to secure from Congress aspecial vote for a travelling allowance.

Perhaps the vote may be., restored later on, but m the meantime it has been knocked out. One representative wanted to make ' things easier for the President by increasing: his salary to £20,000, but Mr Williams, the minority leader, said that President Roosevelt had £10,000 a year from the country, also an establishment at, the White House, which left him practically no expense except for 1 marketing. Why should he want more ? Mr Williams, m fact, declared himself m favor of

THE SIMPLE, THRIFTY LIFE for the country's first citizen, declaring that "there is too much junketing by public officials of all kinds— and : public officials, after all,, are the hired hands of the people." , The question is shelved for the moment, but must come up again, because many Americans are coming to the conclusion that some of the very best men m the country simply cannot afford to enter the public service, which suffers on that account. The salaries c;iven to some of . the highest public officials there seem absolutely paltry v tyy comparisonwith the salaries given to the men directing American business corporations, which are often colossal. The result; is that much talent capable of rendering great service to the State is diverted to the railways -and other ■bi<r business enterprises.