£600 A YEAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 184, 5 August 1936, Page 11

£600 A YEAR.

UNDER-SECRETARIES.

HOUSE ALLOWANCE £200

BILL INTRODUCED. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Provision for the appointment ot Parliamentary under-secret a ries, at a salary of £t>oo a year each, is contained in the Civil, List Amendment Bil/, which was introduced in the House of Representatives on Governor-General's Message to-day and read a fir f st time. Under the bill the Governor-General is empowered to appoint any member of the Legislative Council or House of Representatives to hold office as a Parliamentary under-secretary, in relaxation to one or more Ministerial offices, and every such person appointed shall vacate his office on ceasing to become a member of either of the two legislative assemblies. It is provided, however, that no person who is in office immediately prior to the dissolution of the General Assembly shall be deemed to have vacated his office. All appointees will hold office at the pleasure of the Governor-General.

In addition to a salary of £600, every Parliamentary under-secretary will be entitled to the same travelling allowances as a Minister and a residential allowance of £200.

The clause dealing with the functions of an under-secretary states that he shall have and may exercise under tho direction of the Minister, such at the powers, duties and functions of the Minister as may be assigned to him by the Minister. Every instrument executed by an under-secretary as such shall be as valid and effective as if it had been executed by the Minister. The bill provides for an increase in tha number of paid Ministers from 10 to 11, in addition to the Prime Minister, without an increase in the total salaries. Where Needed. _ In reply to the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Forbes, the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, said that the bill gave power to appoint under-secretaries where they were needed. "We do not want an army of them," said Mr. Savage; "we want them where there is a definite job to do.. I have heard Ministers referred to as 'rubber stamps.' I don't think that is a bad name. The man is not born who can understand everything that is happening in, say, the railway service, and two or three other Departments at the same time. An under-secretary is to provide whatever help is necessary in a Parliamentary sense. It is not a question -of appointing more civil servants. It is a question of utilising additional service from this side of the House so that the Government's policy will be put into operation and will not lose anything? in the process.

"Where there is a man with certain qualifications for a certain job, there should be some way of utilising that service. We shall probably make some appointments. The Leader of the Opposition can take it from me that there is not going to be any army. We do not want to have all officers and no soldiers. When an under-secretary is appointed he can bet his bottom dollar that he has a job to do. If he does not do it he will not stay there."

I Mr. Savage said that the salary would be £600 a year, plus £200 house allowance and travelling expenses on the scale for Ministers. In reply to an interjection from Mr. Forbes, the Prime Minister said that h& thought that members of Parliament should be paid. "They are not paid today," said Mr. Savage. Mr. J. Thorn (Government, Thames): Who is responsible for that? Mr. Savage: We are not. When we get other people on their feet we will put members of Parliament on their feet. I am afraid that they have been ok other people's feet up to now.