The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, FEBRUARYS, 24 1881. RETRENCHMENT(?)

Temuka Leader, Issue 356, 24 February 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, FEBRUARYS, 24 1881. RETRENCHMENT(?)

In a recent is.-ne the West Coast Times had the following :—We commented recently on t!.e proposed SeedBatkin procession round the colony, and gave uomo reasons whj:*h appeared to us conclusive-, as to the inadvisability of appointing another Civil Service Commission. We also held that the proper place in which to commence the w >rk of reduction was Wellington. We are, we find, not singular in this opinion. The Manawatu Herald, published in 9 district which has suffered almost as severely as Westland from iliadvised reductions and retrenchment, is very strong against the proposed commission. Our contemporary points "Ut that the civil service .at Wellington makes work for itself, by instituting a series of checks, countercheck*, endorsements and re-iMidorscmi'ivts, and -generally by an abject worship of red tape. The Hf-rald suygi'sts tho appointment of yet another commission, and this is what it says a properly constituted com mission would have to reuiar' : " II re is Mr Seed holding a high position in the Customs Department. He has just returned from a trip to Australia, aud ne is now away from his office again on a tour ?hrough the Colony. Has his work been ilOne well during his absence? If it has, why not retrench him, and keep on Mr M'Kellar, who is doing it now, at his reduced salary ?" By that means the Colony would save at oncfl LBOO per annum. The same, idea wouhl doubtless suggest itself as regards Mr Batkin, who draws L7OO per annum from the Treasury over which he presides. Tile fact that he is able to leave bis office for several months implies that the work can be got through without hirn and the clear inference is that he also might be retrenched, and another saving effected. The two gentlemen named are likely to derive a nice little thing from their billets as Retrenchment Commissioners. In addition to drawing full salary, and having all travelling expenses paid, Mr Seed will draw 28> per day aa a special allowance, while Mr Batkin's sh re will be 24s 6d, being 3s 6d for each LIOO of their respective salaries. They are human, and consequently are not likely to hurry in order to get through work for which in addition to drawing full salary, and having all expenses paid, they will respectively draw L 9 16s and LS 1 Is tid per week from the Colonial Treasury ! If we allow Commission No. 3 twelve months to do their work —and it may take all that—their respective accounts would come to something like this : Mb Sekjd. Sahiry £BOO Allowance, 365 days at 28s per (lay 511 Cost of travelling, £2 per day, 365 days 730 Total for the year £2041 Mb. Batkin. Salary £7OO Allowance, 365 days at 24s 6d per day .-. 447 Cost of tra-velling-, same as above 730 £1877 If to the above two items we add LIOOO for salary, travelling, cj-c., for a Secretary to the Commission, we shall have a total cost per annum of about L 4918. In. abiition to the above, we presume the officials who are to do Messrs Seed and Batkin's work during their absence will also receive increased salary for doing the extra duty, bringing the rate an to something over Lsooo per annum, or precisely the salary paid to his Excellent the Governor ! It is Ijo provide leeches of the stamp of Messrs Seed and Batkin with blood that the people of th West Coast are deprived of the dail l

mail service ; for this, the. Foxtm ('ustonis officei is removed and the duties thrown on a railway official, with a polite intimation that '.< if you good people quarrel with your destiny we will shut up your port; " for this poor starved nig clerks have been deprived of their ten per <vnf. ; yes, h't it be known, according to llie practice ot the Hall Government, ' This is Retrenchment"