THE £100 BONUS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19787, 27 November 1929, Page 10

THE £IOO BONUS.

CHRISTCHURCH MEMBERS' VIEWS. GRANT WILL NOT BE RETURNED , There will lie no enrichment of the A'ew Zealand Treasury funds by several individual donations of £IOO from Canterbury members of Parliament. Enquiries by a Press reporter yesterday disclose that none of the members contemplate following the example set by Mr Coates and Mr R. A. Wright in returning their grants of £IOO, and the labour members in particular view Mr Coates's action with anything but favour. "Definitely not," -was Mr K. J. Howard's reply when asked whether ho was returning his £IOO in conipartv with Mr Coates and Mr Wright. "Mr Coates has only refused acceptance until the lower paid Civil servants have received their promised increase,"' lie added. "I stand for an increase in pay for. the lower paid men in the Public Service. I also stand for an increase in the old age pension. If the refusal of the £IOO granted to members would bring these conditions any nearer I would gladly refuse to take it, but I consider it wrong for any member to make a little bit of capital out of the incident in view of the fact that there was a general meeting of members at which, if there had been any opposition to an increase in salary for M.P.'s, the matter would have been dropped. There were later caucus meetings of each Party held, and again if there had been any opposition the matter would have been dropped. Mr Coates seems to have gone back on his own Party, and his own Party must deal with Mr Coates. I feel that th« Leader of the Opposition would not have made this statement about not taking that £IOO had there been no by-election pending." Mr H. T. Armstrong niadf his attitude perfectly clear. "I understand." he added, "that Mr Coates gave his own Party an assurance that he was in favour of the vote. As far as I am concerned it was very neeessarv. I wanted that £IOO very badly, and I think a lot of others are in the same box. I haven't got it yet. 1 hope there'll be no hitch."

Question Resented.

"I resent the question. I don't wish to be interviewed on it," said Mr J. MeCombs. "If Ido refer to it I want to discuss the inconsistency of Mr Ooatcs, who first proposed a sessional allowance of £SO two or three vears ago. without any reference to public servants' salaries at all. He was the first to propose and endorse the principle of a sessional allowance." Mr R. W. Hawke was brief. "T will have to pay my debts before I can throw money away like that." he said. Mr D. G. Sullivan: For two successive years while Mr Coates was Prime Minister the whole of the members of Parliament considered the matter and were unanimous on the point. Mr ("oaf's was seen and he expressed the opinion definitely that in view of the financial demands on members the claim was thoroughly justified. lam satisfied that there is not a single member of Parliament but would return the £IOO if by doing so he could secure the increase that public servants and old ag.pensioners are entitled to. Mr H. S. S. Kyle intimated that he was 'going to take it," and he supposed that the majority would do likewise. "Any time I was asked on the platform," he said. "I said that I was in favour of an increase. lam just tak ing it as though it were a. measure that had been passed.*