MODERN JOURNALISM

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 October 1929, Page 5

MODERN JOURNALISM

■ ■ I I—>——. —— A VARIETY OF SCALES Writing to the London “Daily Telegraph,” C.L.8., of Whetstone, wrote to that paper:—• After reading the suggestion made in Parliament for raising the salaries of the Premier and other Ministers of the Crown, I was curious enough to inquire how the Ministerial salaries in England compare with those of Continental States. The results surprised me. Judged by Continental standards, the British statesman has cause for satisfaction. There are at once more salaried posts in the Ministry to be filled in England than is the case in Continental countries, and the standard of salary is higher. In size the French Cabinet is most nearly comparable with our own. In England we have nineteen Cabinet Ministers; across the Channel there are fifteen. In oru Cabinet, as the result of somewhat anomalous differentiation, we have one member drawing £6OOO (plus £4OOO as Speaker of the House of Lords), nine receiving £5OOO each, one £4,500 (the First Lord of the Admiralty) and another £3OOO (the Secretary for Air), while six members have to be content with £2OOO each. Across the Channel there is one flat rate of pay—Bo,ooofr. per annum, which at the present exchange rate is equivalent to much less than £7OO. In France there the eleven "Undersecretaries, paid at the flat rate of

40,000 fr., or half the salary of the principals —that is, under £350. The pay of the British Under-Secretaries varies from £lOOO to £2OOO. In France the salaries of 26 Ministers total £14,000. In Germany the scales of Ministerial salaries, though higher than in France, are below oui’ own. The ten Reich Ministers receive 36,000 marks and 4800 marks as allowance —roughly £2OOO at present exchange values. The ten Under-Secretaries are paid 24,000 marks, or £l2OO and the heads of the army and navy a like amount. Lower rates prevail in Italy, although the salaries have been doubled recently. Each of thirteen Ministers is allowed 80,000 lire per unnum, which is less than £9OO a year. The thirteen Under-Secretaries are paid half the salaries of their principals. The Italian exchequer benefits from the energies t of Mussolini. The Duce himself is at the head of seven Ministeries, but by self-denying ordinance, he draws the pay for only a single office. In the United States they deal more generously with the officers of State than on the Continent. There are ten Cabinet Ministers, each of whom is rewarded with 15,000 dollars a year—about £3000..1n most cases the Undersecretaries receive half the pay of the principals. Senators as well as f members of the House of Representatives, are salaried legislators across the Atlantic, the salary being fixed at the princely sum of 10,000 dollars —£200 Q a year. With this addition members of erican executive are better off than. British. Ja? "