UNPAID LEGISLATORS

Feilding Star, Volume 4, Issue 674, 5 January 1926, Page 4

UNPAID LEGISLATORS

It will have come as. a surprise to many of our readers to learn through the cable news yesterday that a group of members of the second chamber of the New South Wales Parliament had followed the rule of Australian uniofiism. They have made a demand for remuneration for the,time and.' attention they give to legislation. For it is generally supposed that In Australia especially no poifician dims anything in the public interest for nothing. Vet it is a fact that, members of the UpperHouse in. Sydney are not paid for their services whilst (lone in the elected chamber get over £4OO per annum. Ail the councillors get is a gob I pass, which entitles them to I’reo travelling on the railwayK and tramways. It is said : lliat the Jiang Cabinet, which is ruled in turn by the Labour Caucus, wilt use the demand for payment as a further weapon to l bludgeon.- tli© liegisatiye Conn

oil out of existence. But that is very un-Labour like. Trades unionism exists under the rule that the labourer is worthy; of his hire. Therefore', the demand for a modest £390 per annum should be promptly met by Hie Cabinet, if it plays the game according to. union rules. But, after all, MY Lang is doing trie Coffimonwealth a very real and economic service in setting an. example in the abolition of the second chamber. Australia is badly and sadly and■extrava*' gantly overloaded with legislative machines. There are 649 legislators in Australia’s seven Parliaments, which consist of 13 legislative chambers. New South Wales holds the record for the number of its politicians. It has 172 legislators. The* Commonwealth supports 112, Victoria 99, Queensland 72, South. Australia 66,

Western Australia 80, and Tasmania only 48.•