THE FORTY POUND BONUS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11536, 22 November 1900, Page 3

THE FORTY POUND BONUS.

INDIGNATION MEETING AT MAUKU. [from our own correspondent.] - The subject of the £40 vote and other extravagances of the late session of Parliament were brought before a public meeting held at the Hall, Patumahoe, on Thursday evening last. ;.< >-■■ Mr. H. Wily having been proposed as chairman, called upon Mr. Crispe, as convener of the meeting, to explain the position. - Mr. Crispe said that it had been suggested to him that a meeting should be held on the subject, therefore he had given notice of such. Other places had not as yet held meetings, but he did not see why Mauku should not lead the way, in the hope that other places would wake up to the fact that some of the actions of the* late Parliament required serious consideration by all having the welfare of the colony at heart. Mr. Crispe showed how* the liabilities of the colony were being piled on, and the hardworking country settlers, who had to work early and late to make a living, had a large share of the taxation to pay. He handed the chairman a letter to read from Mr. Massey, M.H.R., in response to an invitation to him to attend the meeting. In this Mr. Massey. said he was unable to be present on account of duties he had undertaken in connection with the agricultural show, but perhaps, ,he said, it would.be better if he were not present, as it could not then be said he. had influenced any resolution that might be passed.in regard to the £40. Mr. Massey said, as a writer in the daily Herald had recently pointed out, the bonus was merely a" detail of the system by which the country was governed. But though the voting of the sessional allowance was bad, the method by which it was brought about was worse, namely, the arrangement, between Ministers and members, . the amending of the Public Revenues Act to make such a thing possible, and the bringing in the Supplementary Estimates at five o'clock in the morning of the last sitting of the Horse. These acts made up a piece of business of which all right-thinking people must feel heartily ashamed. Unfortunately he was away from the House on account of sickness of a member of his family, so he had'no say, so far, but when his cheque arrived (which it had not done-yet),, ha should pay it into the public account at the bank, and be done with it. He would explain his position to the electors later on. In conclusion, Mr. Massey said he sincerely hoped that the doings during the recent session of Parliament would have the effect of setting people to think what the future of a country must "be when such things were possible. The Chairman then read a comparative table showing some of the increases made last session: — Old New ! Scale. Scale. Governor's salary ... ...£5 000 £7,000 Furnishing unofficial rooms, Government House — 1.00" Premier's salary '— . 1-000 1,600 Other members' salari23 ... -1.800 <,aOO Addition to Ministers' travelling allowance ... — oJa Addition to. members' honorarium, £40 each - 4,2*0 Six new members — lrO»o Speaker's salary 600 °J~ Chairman of Committees ... 400 600 Agent-General's salary 1.250 1,500

£13,050 £26,720 Other sums as follows:—£500 for expenses of a. Minister to attend Duko of York ; £500 for a Minister to visit Australia in connection with the Commonwealth celebration; £1000 for extra expenses in connection with Cook Islands; and for entertaining the Duke of York. £6000. Mr. Wily, the chairman, explained more fully the effect of the amendment made in the Public Revenues Act, whereby the power is taken out of the hands of tho AuditorGeneral to disallow any sums presented for payment that he considered not according to law. He also commented freely on the lavish expenditure of the Government. The Government had passed an Act some few years ago fixing the members' honorarium at £210, so that, as they said at the time, members should not have to be continually fixing up their own payments. Then to add another £40 in the manner done in the early dawn of the morning when members were weary with an all-night sitting, and many having left, only 42 then present, was, ho considered, quite unjustifiable. Mr. Joseph Henry said that members were returned at the last election well knowing that the honorarium was ' fixed by law at £240, and they were quite satisfied to be elected on that understanding, and as far as he had read tho election speeches, no mention was made of any increase being wanted or expected. Ho considered no language could be too strong to express the feeling against such actions as were carried on at the last moments of Parliament. After the question had been spoken to by others, all in condemnation of that £40, tho following resolutions were proposed and carried unanimously:—"That this meeting is of opinion that the action of the Government in bringing in the Amended Public Revenues Act (and also every member of the House of Representatives who supported it wherebv they put £40 into their own pockets), was moan, contemptible, and unworthy of men holding such high positions." "That this meeting sympathise with the member for the district, Mr. Massey, in not being, able to be in his place in Parliament (through sickness of a member of his family), to cast his vote against such shameful actions in the passingof the amendment made in the Public Revenues Act and putting an extra £40 into members' pockets, and commends the action of the 11 members who voted against it."