THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1871.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 46, 29 November 1871, Page 2

THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. WEDNESDAY , NOVEMBER 29, 1871.

A return lias been laid on the Provincial Council table, furnished by the Colonial Secretary, " showing the names of all General Government officers and ex-officers, in the Province of Auckland, receivin'! or entitled to receive pensions, under the Civil Service Acts, for services 1 nidered to the General Government, but charged against the Province of Auckland.” This return was made up to the 31st December, 1870, and may be regarded as an instalment of that greater and more comprehensive return, which is to be laid before the General

Assembly, at its next session, under the 3rd section of the Civil Service Repeal. Act, 1871. The latter return will give the names, length of service, and amount to which every officer of the Government was entitled under the Civil Service Acts, up to the passing of the repealing Act. It will bo a highly interesting- docun out, no doubt, and must, convince the country of the wisdom of the course adopted last session by our representatives, in moving for the abolition of the pension system, as created under the several Civil Service Acts.

Referring to the return before the Provincial Council, we find that there were on the pension list, on the 31st December, 1870, twenty-seven names. Of these, no fewer than sixteen were persons who had derived their salaries from the General Government, but which salaries had been “ provincially charged.” In other words, the General Government employed the officers, fixed their rate of pay, and charged the amount to the Province. On their retirement from active service, to make room for other candidates for pensions, the General Government paid them their retiring- allowance out of the general revenue of the Colony. A footnote, by Mr Batkin, Paymaster-General and Accountant, appended to this return is so far assuring. “No pensions arc provincially charged.” This is refreshing, truly; it would have been infinitely more so, if lie could have made his return in this form:—“No pensions are allowed by Hie law of New Zealand.” But it was not in his power to make such a return, and, in default, he has done the best he could to minister to our happiness. “No pensions are provincially charged!” The second part of the return contains a “ schedule of all officers ol the General Government whose salaries are charged against the Province of Auckland, with their length of service, the number of same entitled to pensions, and tlie amount of such pensions at the present time.” This return is incomplete. Mr Batkin explains the circumstance in a foot-note. He says, “No officer being entitled to a pension until he retires from the service, the second and third columns are necessarily left blank.” That is, the return is merely a nominal one It contains, however, a list of 208 names, amongst whom we find many familiar to the public, who no one could possibly have imagined were entitled to pensions for services rendered to an appreciative public. Every country postmaster, every messenger, boatman, and clerk, under the control of the General Government, however short or long his services may he, is down on the list. Even the letter-carriers are remembered in this general recapitulation of fortunate and deserving public servants, from our old friend Rowley, who counted his ten months’ service, to men who have borne the burden and heat of the day in the streets of Auckland.

It surely is never seriously contemplated by the General Government, under the Pensions Repeal Act, to compensate “all and sundry” out of the public purse, because the General Assembly, in a lit of temporary insanity, passed a Pensions Rill in the session of 18(U> .’ If it he so contemplated, it is time the taxpayers spoke out, and to the point. There must he some discrimination. A line should be drawn somewhere; but the Government, according to this return, arc not disposed to draw any line. They

include all. There is no service too contemptible, no period too short for recognition. Quito true it is that the great majority of persons whose names figure in the return, accepted service under the Government for the fixed salaries attached to their offices. They were paid for their services, and never looked for pensions. But the older members of the Civil Service, many of whom hare seats in the General Assembly, and who generally manage to have one or two seats in every Executive, became anxious on their own accounts. They succeeded in enacting the Civil Service Act, and to cover their real intent, extended its provisions to all servants of the General Government. If, however, there is any rule of right in the matter, the servants of the Provincial Government should be included. They have discharged onerous public duties, for lower rates of pay than the officials under the General Government ; both sets of officers were paid out of the public funds ; and why one set of men should receive pensions, and another set should not receive any, simply because their paymasters were different, passes all comprehension. The real solution appears to be, that the civil servants, i.c., officials paid by the General Government, looked upon New Zealand as an estate created for their sole use and benefit. They were rapidly becoming a separate, as they had already become a dominant caste. They influenced elections. man’pulatcd the Assembly, and established a kid-glove profession of faith in the midst of a toil-worn, taxridden community. | Thanks to the action taken by several of the Auckland members last session, in the General Assembly, the outworks of the official fortress have been stormed. Much yet remains to be done. The noble army of civil and uncivil servants are fluttered: but the numerous and brilliant list of colonels, majors, captains, and adjutants, who glory in gilt lace and scarlet, are as yet untouched. They have entrenched themselves securely under the wing of the Native and Defence Minister. They live upon the loan ; and have their being and enjoyment by increasing the permanent charges and burdens of the people. Let them next be assailed, and we venture to say that the whole body will form a fine marching regiment, to the infinite profit and peace of the country.