TOPICS OF THE DAY.

REPORT OF THE PENSION LIST COMMITTEE.

THOUGH the Report of the Committee appointed to investigate the Pensions on the Civil List and the Four-and-a-half per Cent. Duties, is not yet issued to the public, or to Members of Parlia- ment, the Morning Post has obtained a copy, from which it has published a large extract. How far the labours of the Committee are likely to swisfy the People, we cannot, in the absence of de- tailed evidencc and specific results, attempt to guess ; but at all events, they have pleased the Tories. "We feel called upon to say," remarks the oldest, steadiest, and politest of their organs, "that the Committee appear to have performed the paisful and in- vidious task committed to them by the House of Commons, with as much delicacy and discretion as its nature would allow." " The report," it adds, "contains not one word, so far as we can perceive, that is calculated to wound the feelings of any indivi- dual."

According to the notice in the Post, the Report opens with an historical view of pensions in general; with which, however, our contemporary has not occupied his columns. The succeeding part, which he has published, consists of a brief account of the plan that the Committee followed in collecting evidence, and of the prin- ciples by which their conclusions were guided. It also states, but very generally, the results of the inquiry ; gives a list of pensions voluntarily resigned since the institution of the Committee; and suggests some regulations to be adopted in all future grants. The pensions whose abolition or suspension is recommended, the saving these will effect, and the particulars of each case inquired into, (except wIlsre communications were confidential, and related to the private circumstances of' the party,) are contained in an appendix; which, says the Post, "we withheld for the present, until we have ascertained that it must necessarily find its way to the public through another channel." The meaning of this we take to be, that some attempts may be made to suppress the Ap- pendix. If the word of the Committee is to be taken, they have con- ducted the inquiry in a fair aml liberal manner ; though with a leaning towards long-established grants, and with a disposition to favour individtutts, which it is easier to censure in our position than to avoid in theirs. Whether they may not have displayed more of a supine and contented than of a searching spirit, in the investigations which they instituted and the evidence they have eal'al for, can only be told by an inspection of the unpublished Appe idix. In the mean time, we may remark, that the Report (listle)s in its under-current, so much of a disposition to gloss over things, anl to make out a case, even on very trifles, as to warrant suspicion. For instance, the Committee, in speaking of the mode of investigation they adopted, mention Mr. SPRING MOE'S letter to the pensioners, as if it had emanated from their suggestion ; though every body knows that it was written be- fore the Committee was named,—which is indeed obvious from the document itself and their subsequent remarks. Again, in stating, to excuse, the character of certain pensions, they go on to say- 4, When the House considers the periods at which several of these pensions were granted, and connects with those dates the state of the law and of the practice

which has been already explained in the earlier pages of this report, t ley will

not be surprised to tied that a much more lax and careless system was applied in former than in later times. The operation of the Superannuation Act, the

grant of retired allowances, the Naval and Military pensions granted for good

services, the pensions granted by the 57th of George Ill., c. 65, for persons who have occupied high Political offices, and the pensions for Diplomatic and Consular services, have to a great extent superseded one of the original pur- poses of the Pension.list. These acts have also substituted a strictly-defined and regulated system of reward, for a system which depended on the arbitrary selection of the Crown, or the recommendation of the existing Government, ex- posed to the bias of party or personal considerations." We doubt the fact, broadly as it is affirmed by the Commit- tee : but, if we grant the statement to the whole extent, the

Committee, under the guise of a literal truth, are inducing the ignorant to draw very false inferences. Admitting all they say, the country has gained a loss, and a very heavy one. When the Civil List discharged the pensions and retiring allowances, &c. for the whole public service, its amount may be stated at 1,000,000/. or 1,200,000/.; out of which, the King had, in addi- tion, to pay the Judges, the Diplomatic expenditure, and the

salaries of many officers of state. The Civil List is now nearly half a million ; the pensions alluded to in the Report may be rated at three millions ; so the country has lost two millions tuff a half per annum by the change! Some of this little spirit, this disposition to gain small ends by equivocal means, is visible in drawing up the following list of resigned pensions— Aston, Lord. Elphinstone, Lord (surrendered on ap. Auckland, Lord (ceased to he received pointment to Madras.) on Lord Auckland's appointment to Grant, Catherine.

the Board of Trade, in 11330.) Grant, Anne. Berens, Lady Catherine. Grant, Harriet.

Bradshaw, Augustus. Gray, Lady, Bromley, Lady Louisa. Hunter, Sir Richard. Caermarthen, Marchioness of. Hay, Lady Jane.

Cranstoun, Lord. Lusbington, Honourab7e F. Bouverie, Lady Frances. Lenox, Lady Sophia.

Dalrytople, Elizabeth. Parnell, Lady Carolir e. Drummond, Thomas (surrendered Strangford, Viscount.

whilst Under-Secretary for Ireland.)

The "ceased to be received" attached to Lord AUCKLAND'S, the " surrendered" to Mr. DRUMMOND'S and Lord E L mit Nrromea pensions, may lead many to suppose that they were resigned ot the time alluded to in the remark : we believe, however, that this is not the case—that they were not finally given up until the ordeal of a resignation or an inquiry was the alternative. The fear and shame of publicity has at last, too, extorted from the Member for Dundee the resignation of Lady CAROLINE PAR. NELL'S pension. Lord STRANGFORD probably resigned in a fit of temper, for he had a good case.

Passing these questionable points, we will let the Committee give their own account of the principles by which they were guided. In the main they are fair; though we do not see that either a mere " expectation of the continuance of the bounty of the Crown," or " age," is logically to be reckoned among "just claims."

Your Committee are anxious to impress upon the House, that, in perform. iug the duty assigned to them, they have constantly borne in mind that the question referred to them was the continuance or discontinutince of pensions already granted. They have felt that this question required to be dealt Ira on very different principles from those which would have been applicable to these grants if proposed for the first time ; because your Committee felt hand to consider, not only the original merits and claims of the several parties, but also the expectations which they might have entertained of the continuance of the bounty of the Crown, and the distress in which they might be involved by the withdrawal of that which constituted in very many cases the whole or the greater part of their means. Acting on these principles, your Committee have in many cases felt themselves justified in giving considerable weight to family settlements, whether by will or otherwise, in which pensions have heel treated as a fund for permanent arrangements, or have been mortgaged or transferred for a valuable consideration.

" Nor has the age of your pensioners been overlooked ; your Committee having, in very many instances, considered it more advisable that the public should await the natural termination of the grant by time, than anticipate such an event where the person is far advanced in life. In conducting their Mimi. rids upon these principles, your Committee consider they are fulfilling the intentions of the House as expressed by the order of reference, which directed them to have 'due regard to the just claims of the several parties.' Your Cont. mince deem it expedient to make this explanatory statoneut, in order not only to show the grounds on which their recommendations rest, but to guaid them- selves against the inference that they have given their sanction to the pi inciples on which many of the pensions were granted which remain undisturbed."

The manner of arranging and conducting the inquiry seems to have been good ; and the classification of the pensions in the following extract is very complete, and by far the best we have yet seen.

"At the commencement of their inquiries, it appeared to your Committee that the Pension.list.might be generally considered under two respective heads; first, Pensions granted exclusively for service ; second, Pensions granted as marks of Royal bounty for relief of distress. 'With respect to the first, after much consideration, they determined that an inquiry into the private and pent. niary circumstances of the several part;es was not requisite ; as it appeared to them, that if real and meritorious services have been rendered, the wealth Of the poverty of the parties does not vary the obligations which they have con. furred on the Crown or on the public ; but where the origin of the grant was traceable to the necessities of the pensioners, it Ohl not appear either harsh or unjust, but, on the contrary, that it was the strict duty of the Committee, to inquire whether the causes which originally produced and justified the grant snit continue to exist.

46 Your Committee found, in the progress of their investigations, that variety of mixed cases presented themselves, in which the services of the pen. sioner or of some immediate relative, combined with narrow and limited means, formed the justification of the original grant. To these cases your Committee have applied much labour and attention, and have endeavoured to decide upon each in a liberal spirit, but not without the most careful examination into the peculiar grounds upon which each separate grant could either be objected to ot defended.

" Your Committee subjoin to this Report a list of all the existing pension' referred to them by the House. They have classed them under the fullowiog heads, where they are connected with particular branches of the public berries, or capable of being traced to an origin admitting of such arrangements- 2. Navy Army }included in one class.

3. Diplomatic.

4. Judicial and legal.

5. Political.

6. Civil and revenue.

7. Colonial.

8. Services to Royal Family and in Household. 9. Rewards for literary and scientific attainments. 10. Royal bounty and charity. 11. Compensation for forfeited estates.

12. Miscellaneous, not included as above."

The recommendations respecting the grant of future pensioas. with which the Committee conclude their Report, are for the most part judicious. " 1. They recommend, that in the case of all future Civil List pensions the warrant or other instrument of appointment should set forth distinctly the tee son and motive of the grant. This will be a check against inconsiderate recons mendations for pensions, and will furnish to Parliament hereafter that read7 information which your Committee have found so much difficulty in obtainiegi "2. They recommend, that where pensions are granted for services to per- sons other than the individual by whom the services were rendered, care shoull be taken, if these 'pensions are granted for younger lives, that the amount of pension should be reduced 130 as to prevent any undue increase of charge to the public. Indeed, excepting under very peculiar circumstances, it is the opining of your Committee that such grants should be avoided, and all the facts CO0 nected with them considered with the greatest care. "3. They recommend, that in cases where pensions are granted as edict Royal bounty for the relief of distress, it should be distinctly provided that sucll grants should cease when the circumstances of the parties no longer require dig continuance. This principle has already been acted On in various cases, evea where a pension had been granted for public services, highly to the credit of di parties concerned : among whom, the names of Viscount Sidmouth, the 1st Lord Farnborough, Mr. Moore, Mr. Marsden, and Mr. Charles Bathunit,‘,111 honourably distinguished. The lkuse will also bear in mind, that Civil Lel pensions have been surrendered on the same grounds, and that for several _l1 the pensions granted to the Dutchese f Newcastle, Lord Reay, Mrs. .Pe!ef Smith, and Lady Seymour, have ceased by the voluntary acts of the parties le. canted. II 4. They recommend, that under no circumstances should the mere combi- nation of poverty with the hereditary rank of the Peerage be considered as a justification of a grant of pension. It is far from being the wish of your Com- Mittee to

press an °ninon that a Peer should not have the same inducements ex to exertion, and should not share in the same rewards for services rendered, which are enjoyed by other classes of her Majesty's subjects ; but your Com- mittee consider, no less for the honour of the Peerage itself than fur the inte- rests of the public service, that the system of granting Civil List pensions to the members of the Peerage, merely because they are reduced in their circum- stances, should he altogether extinguished.

o 5. In order to avoid any possible doubt or misconception hereafter, your Committee recommend, that enactments with respect to the Irish and Scotch revenue, analogous to those contained in the English statute of I Anne, should be made part of the bill which provides for the regrant of the Civil List pen. sins,.. "6. They recommend, that all pensions to be granted should be held liable in deduction or suspension in the event of the parties being appointed to office in the public service ; thus rendering the continuarme of the pensions unneces- sary, either for it time or permanently. Tire course has been followed in some cases of grants of pensi )))) s submitted to your Committee, and might be advan- tageously extended further."

The qualifications to our general praise refer to the remark about the " younger lives," in the second suggestion—which dis- plays too much of a huckstering spirit : in cases of public reward, the question should not be a mere estimate of how much can be saved, but a consideration of worth. The sixth point is also one of doubtful soundness. Suppose Lord NELSON were now alive and employed in a war against Russia : it would be hard enough to strike off his pension for former services because he was called upon for fresh; and, in such a case, absurd too, because the pay would be less than the pension. The fact seems to be, that the Committee were thinking of the old pensions and their abuses ; to which this suggestion would properly apply, but scarcely to deserved pensions.

• This alludes to a certain class of pensions, and tire worst of all, which the lawyers say cannot be meddled with. This is the Committee's account- - Your Committee have also found, that in the pmportion as grants were Meal ia their nature, responsibility was less felt, and the Nullities of abuse were augmented. 111115, ihe distribution of pensions in Scotland Mot in Ireland was made more carelessly than in England. The same principle :,ppliet1 in a certain degree to the grants or. the Fula andir half per Cent Duties. Tier pendons for life bv patent in the Itish I.ist are similar in principle. With respect to these, your Committee have had before them the opinions of the Attorney mid Solicitor.General fur England, unit the Attorney. General for Ireland, which affirm that snob grants were legal and binding, and conse- quently ought out to be disturbed. Whew grants of this description have been legally made and are legally operative, your Cointuittee consider that the economical lament to be derived trout the rethictioa of a lew rote.tioutible pensions, would be but an im- perfect compensation Inc the e it effects of disturbing those important principles on which are founded the permationm and security of all property."