28 JUNE 1873, Page 2

Mr. Lowe is certainly not as favourable to literary interests

as he- is to commercial. While he was anxious to give the Union Steam- ship Company 211,000 a year more, apparently, than was needful for the purpose, he has sent a most curt reply to the Trustees a the British Museum, wholave applied for an increase of salary for their principal officers. The Trustees show that the Keepers of Departments and their principal Assistants have most difficult and responsible duties on their hands, implying qualifications which will usually gain those who porksess them in other ways very high salaries ; that as a matter of fact they are at present so much underpaid,—the chief librarian himself, the head of the whole concern, has only £1,200 a year, of which £800 is his whole salary as chief, and £400 more is given him for his additional duties as Secretary to the Trustees, —that several of their best officers have lately resigned, while others apply for 'every respectably paid post to which they are eligible ; that men • cannot do their work satisfactorily if they are eagerly watching for the chances of outside preferment ; and that it is very de- pressing to the chiefs to see their most efficient subordinates tempted away by higher offers. Under these circumstances, they -submitted to. the Treasury a scheme for increasing the salaries which would involve an average increase of cost of about 15,700 -a year to the department ; to which the Treasury simply replies that "their Lordships, after giving their most careful considera- -tion to all the statements put before them, regret that they would not feel warranted in acceding to any alteration in the present scale of salaries." Penny-wisdom is often pound-foolishness. If the British Museum falls, as it very likely may, into incom- petent hands, it will be almost impossible to avoid spending a great deal more on restoring its efficiency than would have been necessary to maintain it. The distinguished Trustees of the Museum, if, as seems probable, they think that the efficiency of the Trust is seriously endangered, would produce a considerable -effect by resigning their honorary, but responsible offices.