ONE MEN, ONE JOB.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20648, 10 September 1932, Page 19

ONE MEN, ONE JOB.

•X\J THE EDITOR 0* THE PRESS. g; r > _'Will you allow me through your columns to offer my congratulations to Mr E. J. Howard and Mr H. T. Armstrong on their return to an article of the Labour creed which ot late years has been honoured more in the breach than in the observance? refer to the formula expressed in the old Labour slogan, "One mau, one job." it io true enough that tne reaffirmation of that article of faith by two professional Parliamentarians sitting as members of tho Lyttelton Harbour Board seems rather inconsistent; but why trouble about that!' Consistency was never considered a virtue bv Labour members of Parliament. Of course, Mr Howard and Mr Armstrong will point out that, although thoy also hold a dual position, they draw only one salary, and yet an inconvenient point might be raised » one enquired how a busy member oi Parliament, drawing a yearly salaryfor a year's work, could spare tune from such salaried work to give it to other activities. "Ah. but," the member of Parliament might retort, we can give full attention to such extraParliamentary work when Parliament is not in session." Quite true, ana then tho anxious enquirer will proceed to discover that Parliamentary duties ocuupv no more than six months, anu that for the other six months tho members, if they choose e»n have a glorious time of "ease and idleness, and yet draw their salaries as if they - were roallv working. That again will make it clear thnt as they sit in Parliament lor six months only and draw £364 10s in salarv alone, they are paid really at the rate of £729 per annum. And yet—l like to recall thb to the memory of my fellow-citizens—Mr Armstrong, Pghtinc strenuously and somewhat tearfullv against the last cnt in Parliamentary salaries, declared that if it were imposed the member of Parliament would be no better off than a

relief worker. I shall not trust myself to characterise such nonsense as that. On a historic occasion, Lord Randolph Churchill admitted that he had '"forgotten Goschen" as a possible successor to him in the Chancellorship of the Exchequer, which ho had truculently resigned, confident that his resignation would not be accepted. J. wonder now whether Mr Howard and Mr Armstrong, denouncing the iniquity of Mr. Climie's dual position, forgot Mr D. G. Sullivan their colleague, who holds the dual position of Mayor and member of Parliament. His case, according 1.0 their reasoning, is absolutely indefensible, for each of the positions he holds carries a salary, qtiifc& adequate to keep a man and his family in comfort. And does not Mr Armstrong's criticism of Mr C'limie apply with crushing force? —"He do oil'- ;it n time!" Let me add that T am quite in favour of what Mr Howard and Mr Armstrong said against Mr Climie's dual nosition That sort of thin" not he tolerated: but when Mr Climie is dealt with, let 11s hope that members of the T.aboiir Pnrtv also will he faithfully dealt —Yours etc., JUNIUS MINOR. September Bth,