SUPERANNUATION FOR M.P.’S

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25734, 21 February 1949, Page 3

SUPERANNUATION FOR M.P.’S

Only One Retirement Among Senior Men 16 MEMBERS ELIGIBLE FOR FULL PENSION (By Our Parliamentary Reporter.) In spite of many rumours, the number of members of the House of Representatives certain not to be standing for re-election is only two. and one of these is a younger member who is retiring after only one term. He is Mr J. R. Hanan (National. Invercargill). More than a year ago the Labour member for Gisborne (Mr D. W. Coleman), who is now 68, announced his retirement, to take effect at this year’s dissolution. His is still the only announced retirement among the House veterans, although 16 members of the present House are eligible to retire on lull superannuation, £4OO a year after 15 years’ service. Persistent rumours in Wellington that Mr Speaker (Mr Robert McKeen), who is 65 and has been in the House for 27 years, might resign, have been denied by Mr McKeen. Another report that Mr W. A. Bodkin (National, Central Otago) might be retiring was denied by the official announcement that he would contest his seat again. The oldest member in the House, the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple), who is 75, has been 21 years in the House, but has been emphatic that he is not retiring. The National Party’s oldest member (Mr A. J. Murdoch, Marsden), who has been in and out of Parliament three times, also shows no sign of retiring. The majority of those in the House in the 65-75 age group belong to the Labour Party, but a number of them are Ministers, including the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) and the Minister of Finance (Mr Nash), neither of whom has any thought of retirement. Mr Fraser is 65 and Mr Nash 67. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Parry) is 71. Mr C. H. Chapman, who represents Wellington Central, is in his 73rd year. The Government has the two youngest as well as the two oldest membersThe oldest are Messrs Semple and Chapman, and the youngest Mr T. P. Paikea, member for Northern Maori, and Mr W. A. Freer, member for Mount Albert, both of whom will be 29 this year. The National Party’s youngest member is Mr J. R. Marshall, Mount Victoria, who will be 37 this year. The following are the periods for which the senior Government members have held their seats:

Mr Fraser, 31 years: Mr Parry, 30 years; Mr McKeen, 27 years; Mr F. Langstone, 24 years; Mr H. G. R. Mason, 23 years; Mr Semple, 22 years; Mr C. L. Carr, Mr C. H. Chapman, 21 years; Mr Nash, 20 years; Mr F. Jones, Mr E. T. Tirikatene, Mr D. W. Coleman, 18 years. The National Party’s list of those with 15 years or more in the House is as follows:—Mr W. A. Bodkin. Mr W. J. Broadfoot, 21 years: Mr J. N. Massey, 18 years; Mr A J. Murdoch, 16 years.