COST OF PARLIAMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 11 April 1928, Page 8

COST OF PARLIAMENT

MEMBERS AT £1536 A YEAR

THEIR HARD LOT ITEMS FROM THE A.CCOUNTS "iT'j" • nf tbr stone:, tr,ld of the com nf Parkament and its members to tho r<.untry arc grew exaggerations (says the Auckland Htai'' It lias been said and •» iterated again and again that while the Houm' in' I f< pic.- 'iiiati' es is sitting n is running up the lull 'T expenses at tin' rate nf £‘o an In’in. jits’. as certainly as tiie gas metet marks <• ft the shillings. a’id that the l.egiOativi (’lanieil. in ’-initial cm iintsiam rs. is addiiig at least £2O a:i hum to ih” siore I itese assertions do not lake into airoiiiil at all the 111 ee;ta Ide charges, -wit as inenihers Inn olaria and allowances, oflinah salaries ami maintenance, railway ronri"sioiis. tiuvclling expenses and so Path: but .'•ler simply to the 1 1 i ttereuee between tiie two chambers m action and at list It is nil I'ediMe. however, that tin' dill -r elite eatt amount to as much as £7o an hotir or £450 in a six.hour day u £IBOO in ;i font day week. It' this were so it would mean that this intangible expenditure in a 20 week session would amount to £30.000. a sum just et|ital to the. generous honoraria, paid to the 80 members ot the House. lint that the public is entitled to a good deal more intni mat ton in I 'garil to the cost of l’ar ! :.i men I than is ultmili'ii )>\ the balance sheet ol the l.egisl.at tve I )epa rl mettf lor tit, litt’itieia I year. 102 b 27, no one can t I'asottabl\ question. The. lignres. in short, show that after charging rental iri the buildings oeinpied and interest at -U per rent, on the capital employed •i, f . expenditure exceeded the income by £180.133 1s 6d. The income was derived from the sale of publiettl ions (£4302 15s 6b). profit tit sale of typewriters (£26 list, and profit on sale, of Index to Laws of New .Zealand (£lll 0s Id), amounting in all to £4440 0s id.

TV CASH \ND PERQUISITES Taking the figure?. as they stand and distributing the excess of expenditure ever income indiv tditally among the members of 'he Council and the members of tiie House it appears that each member ot the Council. receiving tin honorarium of £315. costs the country £l4Ol a rear, while each member of the House, receiving an honorarium of £450. costs the country £1536 a year, with a few odd shillings and ponce to he added to each case Ru: perhaps tins ts not altogether a fair method of appraising the, cost of a member of I‘arhament Hie Legislative balance-sheet includes ort its cvrifndttttrei side an item of £28.915 viiidt. presumably, is an estimate, of the annuai letting vahn of the Parliamentary Puddings, and. though the members on |,. V most luxurious accommodation within the stntolv pile, perhaps they are ••(’titled to regard themselves as guests * a tiler than as boarders. It also is only right to state that the item salaries’ £27.933 8s 5d.” probably includes those of certain officers engaged about- the buildings. Tf tins is the ease, then the extra, cost ,-t a Minister should not. be saddled on to a private member. On Hie other hand, there is a mystery surveunding the expenditure upon Pel laniv's. wliirlt the uninitiated tire unable to mi|ve. In the departmental bal-ance-sheet this font of Legislative refreshment is represented as having expended L'9052 upon the enteiTainment. of members last, vent : but there is no indication of the'cost, of foods and liquids consumed and no meniiott of income of anv kind. No doubt these omissions are capable of some simple explanation, but the official figures offer no suggestion as fo where it nitty lie found. Meanwhile the figures might conve_v the impression that- members had received services at the rate of £75 per head during the session without making any- payment.

If; AV E MAX 0 FACTLITIFS From thc very institution of railways m New Zealand down to the present time members of Parliament have ettioved the privilege of travelling on the State lines free of charge. The privilege continues to be. generally regarded as n verv proper concession to toe nation’s legislators, who should take mery possible opportunity to make tbemselver acquainted with tlie people, ’■■it'll tlieir conditions, and with the

’.n-inis parts of the country. All this is readilv conceded. For some years p ist. lio -T.- m. the pm lieges oi members of Parliament in tins respect have been v.idelv extended The taxpayers of today pay not only for the railway travelling of’members’of the Legislative Contii il and the House of 'Representatives, but also for the travelling of members’ wives, sisters, cousins, aunts, and. on occasions, casual acquaintances. In the Legislative Department’s balance-sheet um last year live substantial sum of £l^6. 84i 2s Id is set down as the expenditure of the 12 months upon "railway concessions and travelling expenses of members. I his implies, though perhaps not intentionallv. that the concessions'' and travelling expenses” are confined to members of Parliament : but in the appropriations for the voar it is bluntly stated that. * rail wav passes anrl conrossions ru<' available to "members and ex-members i ; f the Legislature. families. relations, and etcetera.” Willi such a wide door open in the friends and etceteras ol pvruv meinbei' of Parliament C is gratif\ mg evidence to the liniderat ion ot our legislators lluil (he taxpayers were called upon in provide only some C 20.000 fo ■cards the entertainment of their guests. The 120 members of Parliament, dealt with on a sound business basis, could have been provided with passes carrying them over the whole of the railway system and the Lake Wakatipu trip as frequently as they pleased for £6OOO year. It is obvious, therefore, that the wives and friends and etceteras of iii'inbeis and ex-members com the tnxpavris during the 12 months at least. C 20.000

SOME OTHER ITEMS There are seme smaller items m the balance, sheet of the Legislative, Department vliwh shmv that nimnbers of ParI’ament. as they should do, are. looking after the interests of themselves and them constituents fairly well. The Depaitment itself takes the responsibility for expending last year £1260 10s 4d on postages, telegrams, telephones, etc. ; lull in addition to Mils there is a charge nf £1044 7- 0d for postage stamps stip plied to members. I'll is means an av erage expendil ill e per inemliei ot £lO 4s Hie ei|uiva 1 epi of AHHP. pmmv stamps, v.-hieli few viitisl it mm|s would suspei I. In In, the measure of their repre septa I ive’s < nrrespond' iii e. The suli sla.pt.ial item of £22.740 1.5-: 7d for printing and stationery, while going refill, was/ to r plain the activity ol the I Tverriuu nt Printing Odin, w not- bnl allied by a eorrespnnding if* in on the • iii. me, Side ol ttu halam* sheet., the ■ales t,f pu lit iea ! ion° amounting fo no mi re than £4502 15s Od. The acelimula Hun o| printed lilcrniure iii flu base nn nf of the ! i hrar\ ami (lie v arnhis -1 nreroonis is an assurance that none of dm | li -1 i.i > I nn'ii t pu hi lea I lons is likely * 11 I i mi < 4 pi uu m I lie vei y lienr 111 lii i , - Anofim, item in tin balance-slm-H of pa.-Mug mterr.-t has to do with losses ' by shortages and breakages ol mocker -, etc.” If runs into the sub

sfanfia.l sum ef £245 6s pd. and. had it rae.ti Hid eve of. ;t humorist, during a, sit ting. (>f the. rltiu.se. sonniMiing snrctV veultf ,ha.ee jhern raid about members playful methods of emphasising their arguments. Colour might have been given to so lanie :! jest, by an ilnm of .C 6707 0s id, i('presenting ‘‘depreciation on furniture, fillings, library, etc' The n< wspapi t's. which serve Parliament- sc well both in session and m recess, seem to have fans! rather badly at the hands of the Legislative Department last. year, only £175 of the £180,1,5,5 expended com •og tbcii way But the Press always war n modest factor in the- affairs of State.