UPPER HOUSE "WORK"

Northern Advocate, 8 July 1925, Page 5

UPPER HOUSE "WORK"

MONTHLY TADLY 343 MINUTES.

POINTED CRITICISM. (Special to .["Northern Advocate.") WELLINGTON, This Day. After a reeojfd quoted frv Mr. A. L. Monteith East) in the House of Representatives yesterday, members of tne Legislative Counc:l should not fejsl as if they have been overworked. Figures were put on record by Mr. Monteith to show that in: one week last August the Council sat for a total of 70 minutes—l 4 minutes one day and 56 the day after. In inother week they worked 220 minutes, having sat for 11 minutes one day, 166 on another and 43 on another. "There is no 44 hours about that," interjected Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton), Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central): "More production."

Continuing, Mr Monteith stated that in another week the Council met on two days only—lo minutes on one day and 13 on another. For the month of August the Council had put in 5 hours and 43 minutes, and for the services of the 42 members in ite Council the country had to pay £14,700, or £350 each, with privileges and other items. The Legislative Council cost . another £15,300 a year, or a total of £30,000, which worked out at £2500 a month; yet if legislation were introduced to reduce the hours of the industrial workers by one per week the members of the Legislative Council would hold up their hands in holy horror and say the thing could not be done and that the country could not stand it. If the country could stand the Legislative Councillors working as strenuously as he had indicated it could stand anything.

When he first entered Parliament tho Prime Minister was in favour of an elective Upper House. "He must have thought," added Mr Monteith, "that they wanted a little exercise and that an election now and again would do them good. This Council should have a canter in front of the electors or el3e should be wiped out as in Queensland."