Daily Prices of STOCKS, from 20th JUNE, to 20th JULY, 1808. Imperial 3p. Cent. Ditto Annuities. India India Scrip. India Bonds. 1 70 70% 704 704 6 1 2 p21 10 par 21 10 70 ༢ P 691 388188318 for Acct, Irish 115 per Cent STATE OF THE ROYAL NAVÝ, JULY, 1808.-Grand Total, 1008. In Ordinary... THE LITERARY PANORAMA, FOR SEPTEMBER, 1808. PENSIONS, SINECURES, REVERSIONS. THIRD REPORT FROM THE COMMITTEE OF THE HON. HOUSE OF COMMONS, appointed to examine and consider what Regulations and Checks have been established, in order to control the several Branches of THE PUBLIC EXPENDITURE in Great Britain and Ireland; and how far the same have been effectual; and what farther Measures can be adopted for reducing any Part of the said Expenditure, or diminishing the amount of Salaries and Emoluments without detriment to THE PUBLIC SERVICE. [Ordered to be printed, June 29, 1808.] The House having, by an instruction of July 7, 1807, directed the attention of your Committee to all Pensions, Sinecures, and Reversionary Grants paid out of the Public Revenue, or out of any funds applicable to the Public Service, it has been judged proper to lay separately before the House, the result of their inquiries on subjects of such importance. Allowances paid out of Public Money to persons not actually performing service, have at various times attracted the notice of Parl iament. Towards the close of the American war, when the burden of expense pressed with extraordinary weight upon the resources of the country, and when application was made to Parliament to discharge the debts of the civil list, a more vigorous and decided step was taken than had characterized any former interposition of Parliament; and in the attempt to regulate the Civil List, and to prevent the same from being in arrear for the future," by 22 Geo. III. c. 82. this growing branch of expenditure was not overlooked. It was endeavoured to obviate the excess of such grants, by limiting their amount, and * The Report presented at the end of last Session, and intituled the " Third," being incomplete, and of a temporary kind, is rendered now useless, and superseded by this. VOL. IV. [Lit. Pan. Sep. 1808.] their abuse, by giving publicity to them it was accordingly enacted," that no pension exceeding the sum of £300 a year, should be granted for the use of any one person, and that the whole amount of the pensions granted in any one year should not exceed £600; a list of which, together with the names of the persons to whom the same were granted, should be laid before Parliament in twenty days after the beginning of each session, until the whole pension list should be reduced to 90,000, which sum it should not be lawful to exceed by more than £5,000 in the whole of all the grants; nor should any pension to be granted after the said reduction, to or for the use of any one person, exceed the sum of £1,200 yearly, except to his Majesty's Royal Family, or on an address of either House of Parliament." The efficiency of this measure did not entirely correspond with the expectations which were entertained of it, and it was found necessary to bring the subject again before Parliament some years afterwards, when the annual provision for the Civil List became in. sufficient for the charges to which it was liable. The regulations which the Civil List Act contained, were not ill calculated to effectuate their object; it was highly expedient to bring all pensions under one head; to have them paid at the same office and to prohibit the dif fusing of them over various departments, where they might be more likely to escape notice, than if they were distinctly classed with allowances of their own denomination. PENSIONS. On the pensions considered by the Board of Treasury as coming under the operation of the 17th clause of the Civil List Aet, the Committee have the satisfaction of remarking, that their total amount, being £89,067 (including £7,085 of contingent or floating grants not at this time in a course of payment) is within the sum allowed. In 1804 the total amount of pensions, having reference to this clause, was £82,237. The pensions payable by Treasury Warrants out of the 44 per cent duty, stand upon a different footing from the others; because 20. that part of the hereditary revenue not having | omitted. The amount is £15,331, including been given up to the public at the commence- two contingent pensions of £1,500 and ment of his Majesty's reign, (* Finance £3,000, not now in a course of payment. Rep, XXIII. pp. 11. 43.) has been considered as continuing in the absolute disposal of the crown; but as this fund aug. ments the general stock, which is applicable to royal bounty under the direction of government, it is fit in that point of view not to be The "Finance Reports" here, and subsequently referred to in this report, are those made from the Finance Committee of 1797 and 1798; at which Committee presided, if we recollect accurately, the Right Honourable Gentleman, who now so worthily and so ably fills the important office of Speaker of the House of Commons.-These Reports are thirty-six in number: and, with the Treasury Proceedings " in consequence and in furtherance of certain measures recommended in them, form seven volumes in folio.-A list of these Reports, with the subject, and office, each treats upon, we have subjoined-regretting exceedingly that these high marks of indefatigable labour and splendid talents have not been so abridged as to fall more easily within the reading and examination of the public. Debt and Taxes. 1 Debt and Taxes for 1796- 2 3 and Ways and Means for 1797. Collection of the Public Revenue. 4. Customs.-5. Excise.-6. Stamp Office. 7. Post Office.-8, Tax Office.-9. Salt Office.-10. Hawkers and Pedlars Office 11. Hackney Coach Office.-12. Daties on Pensions, &c.-13. First Fruits and Tentlis. Expenditure and Auditing Accounts. 14. The Bank of England and South Sea Company.-15. Treasury.-16. Secretaries of State.-17. Admiralty, Navy Board, Navy Pay Office, and Marine Pay Office.-18. Transport Office.-19.War Office.-20. Barrack Office. -21. Ordnance.-22. Exchequer. Revenue, Debt, Expenditure. The other pensions paid out of the 41 per cent duty, by the husband, amounted in 1807 to £20,896; besides which itis charged with two contingent pensions of £615 each not now in a course of payment, The pensions granted in the War-Office, chiefly by his Majesty's authority, through the Secretary at War, amount to £5,640, and are all granted to those who have been formerly employed in the business of that office. This sum is now covered in the annual vote of the establishment of the WarOffice; but it deserves consideration, whether, in future, the salaries and pensions paid in this department ought not to be distinguished in the annual estimates from the current expenses. Compassionate list, and other allowances Pensions paid out of revenues of Isle of widow of an officer, and to a retired civil Out of revenues of Lower Canada (according to journals of House of Assembly of that province, printed at Quebec 1807) Pen&c. pursuant to orders from secretary of State sions for services performed, or to widows, or lords of treasury £2,537 Allowances granted by treasury minutes, but not included in former returns, amonnt and payable out of civil list, and other funds, £3,150 to · Allowances to retired officers of the treaformerly made in the shape of pensions out sury, now charged on the fee fund, were of the civil list. (A) Allowances paid out of fee fund of Secretary of State, foreign department, in case no parts of the payments were suspen. £2,515 23. The Public Revenue for 1797.-24.ded, are The Public Funded Debt and Expenditure for 1797. (B) In this department, a minute of council, granting a pension of £1000, charged on the establishment, is included. (C) Pensions, for colonial department, (including one floating pension, not now in a course of payment, of £600) £1,625 Expenditure, Civil Establishments. 25. Privy Council Office.-26. Privy Seal Office.-27. Courts of Justice.-28. Police and Convict Establishments.-29. Stationary Office.-30. Civil Government of Scotland. Expenditure, Military Establishments. 31. Admiralty, Dock Yards, and Transports. 32. Victualling Office.-33. Sick and Wounded Seamen.-34. Chatham Chest, Greenwich Hospital, and Chelsea Hospital. 35. Army Expenditure.-36. Secretary at War-Judge Advocate General-Commissary General of Musters-and, the Military Go-haze the direct sanction of the board of treavernments in Great Britain. One pension of £550, included also in above sum, is granted out of a fund, styled extra contingent, which is annually voted, to prevent overburthening the civil list; for which service, in 1807, £15,000 was allot ted, besides £12,000 for extra messengers. (D) Pensions for home department £2,172.--more of these pensions appear to sury than those in the other two departments. Mothers, widows, and children Do determinable on contingency Widows of lieutenants Do of officers of marines, and of subalterns 798 21,405 10,696 1,465 4,515 500 1,852 £62,884 Pensions, in the nature of superannuations, to persons employed in the civil line of this department, as clerks to secretaries of admiralty, clerks of navy, victualling and sick and hurt offices, and clerks in the several yards £5,906 The same to master attendants, master shipwrights, sailmakers, mastmakers, caulkers, boatbuilders, and a variety of artificers, storekeepers, and messengers of the yards £6,306 To persons retiring from office, on the ordinary estimate £4,150 Contingent pensions on do. - £1,000 Pensions to some of the same persons on the produce of old stores, £1,817.-Total of pensions on old stores, including the above £1,817, £5,456; also contingent pensions on do. £3,851. £9,307 Your Committee conceive that it may tend to encourage abuse, if such allowances as some of these should continue to be covered under the ordinary estimate of the navy ; and that the mode of giving allowances out of the fund produced by the sale of old stores, in some cases to the very same persons who receive pensions on the ordinary estimate, requires, if not correction, at least constant attention and superintendence. Application of £85,115, received in 1806, from the sale of old stores and ships in the dock-yards. Miscellaneous allowances to officers on whom honours have been conferred, to pay the fees thereon, to others to defray the table or other charges of military or diplomatic persons whom they have conveyed to or from the several stations of their public service - 13,802 16 0 Balance December 31st 1806 12,599 13 4 285,115 17 2 lousy the Fund arising from the sale of old Your Committee cannot view without jeastores, which, in the year ending 31st Dec. 1806, amounted to£85,115; and they sug gest, that it would be more advantageous to the public, if those pensions, which have been usually granted out of this fund, should be assigned only on the ordinary of the navy, and that the treasurer of the navy should be made debtor for the produce of old stores, under the head of voluntary account; by which means he would become accountable for arrears to the exchequer, according to the practice which prevails with regard to old stores in the ordnance. Tax office; superannuated officers...£1,900 Office of master of horse; (the highest of these pensions is £30) £902 Lord Stewards office: Annual bounty 1,661 quarterly do 1,781 £3,442 Transport office: pension for relinquishing an office in 1778, paid at treasury out of civil list, but not mentioned before £100 Excise: : pension in nature of a compensation for an office in salt duties, £148 ; another in do. 428, and three others ditto, together 1,019£1,595 The pensions granted out of the hereditary revenues of excise, by Charles II. and William III. are omitted. Muster master general's office: Pensions granted, by virtue of letters from secretary at war, to commissaries, &c. suppressed, in nature of compensations. £1,966 Pension of £100 in lieu of a place in salt office; not in excise list, nor in that of stamp office. accountants, &c. granted by treasury letters; Pay-office Four pensions to widows of together £1,100 . |