RETRENCHMENT.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2271, 28 June 1880, Page 2

RETRENCHMENT.

SECOND EDITION

[to the editor.]

Silt, —la these clays of commission of enquiry into the public expenditure, it may not be out of place to enquire how far the Government mean to try and frame the estimates with the view to a real and not apparent economy, the present Speaker of the House of llepresentatives enjoys a salary of £BOO, being £2OO in excess of that paid to any previous Speaker. lam perfectly willing to admit that the present occupant is one of the best, if not the best, that the House has ever had but now comes the point of ray .complaint. On Juno 0 the Ministry 'ntimated to the House that the Queen had been pleased to appoint Mr O’Rourke to the Order of Knight Bachelor of St. Michael and St. George, and upon his forwarding the fees usual upon such occasions, the patent would be prepared. Both sides of the House congratulated the Speaker on the distinction (which 1 believe he is better entitled to, perhaps, than any of the previous recipients of the Order) ; but now comes the proposition of the Government, who are doing their utmost to keep down the public expenditure. The Hon. J. Hall, on the Wednesday, announced that they would ask the House to vote the amount of the fees, vi/.., £‘J7 15s Gd. How’s that for dampness.—l am, &c.,

NOBLESSE OBLIGE