SALARIES TOO LOW

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 147, 23 June 1928, Page 9

SALARIES TOO LOW

POLITICAL POSTS

" Mr. Speaker's " £5000 A Year Held To Be Inadequate. LABOUR URGES INQUIRY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, June 22. Mr. William. Graham, a Labour member of Parliament, who is chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, the Parliamentary body which keeps a close watch upon Departmental expenditure, has put down a motion on behalf of the Labour party asking for an inquiry into the "emoluments and expenses attaching to the office of the Speaker." Mr. Graham's view, which is shared by most members of the House, is that the salary of the Speaker, which has remained fixed since 1805 at £5000 a year, is now inadequate, in view of the expenses attached to the post. The cost of official hospitality he must offer is alone about £1500. It is regarded as possible that the scope of the committee may be extended to include the question of the salaries paid to Ministers. It is notorious that many of these are inadequate, the experience of successive Prime Ministers having been that the financial calls made upon them far exceed the annual £5000 received. The taxes alone on that amount are over £1000. Ministerial salaries generally vary from £2000 to £5000, with the exception of legal posts, which are more remunerative.