SPEAKER OF THE COMMONS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7025, 13 January 1910, Page 3

SPEAKER OF THE COMMONS

THE LATE LORD SELET. Never, perhaps, in tile* lons history of the Speakership, did the office devolve' more suddenly and unexpectedly upon a member than in the «i«o of Mr Gully, the Lord Selby who died on .November 7th. At the time of his nomination lie was personally known to very few of his fellow-members, Ho hardly ever entered the legislative chamber except when summoned by tho ringing ot tho division-boils. Ho spent nearly all liis time in tho room of the library, where silence is enjoined by placard, ’poring over his briefs. He was » specialist on patent and company law. It was Lord Hurschcll. then Liberal Lord Chancellor, who suggested to his colloajjucvi in tho Rosebery Government tho name of his old friend Gully as tho Liberal candidate for tho Speakership, which had been rendered vacant by the retirement of tho present Viscount Peel. Tho Conservatives put forward Sir Matthew White I’idlcv. As the Liberals had only a very slender majority at the time the contest aroused considerable interest and excitement. Mi* Gully won by a narrow majority, and Gradually developed into it highly successful Speaker, although at first he was heavily handicapped by his lack of acquaintance with tho names ami features of most of the members. It may not be generally known that some quaint privileges pertain to the office of tho Speaker of the House of Commons, Ono of these is tho gift every year fiom the Master of the Buokhounds of a buck and a doe killed in tho Royal preserves, Tho buck duly arrives in September, the doo coyly following in November. Tho custom goes 'back as far as records remain, and with It is established a fixed fee by way of honorarium to tho official (of course, not tho Master of the Buckhounds) who forwards tho beast. Later in tho year, somowhero about Christmas-time, the Speaker receives another tribute, the donors on this occasion being tho Clothwarkers' Company «f London, who send a present of a generous width of the best broad-cloth. FURTHER PARTICULARS.

Further* the Speaker is entitled to .£IOOO of equipment money and 2000 ounces of plate immediately on his election, two hogsheads of claret, and .£IOO a year for stationery. In former times the income of the Speaker was £0 a day, in addition to fees on private Bills. Ilts salary has now been fixed by Act of Parliament at ,£SOOO a year. Ho is invested as Speaker with the offices of Trustee of the British Museum and Controller of the National Debt. Since the It evolution he has become the First Commoner, and has constantly taken place next to the Peers at all times both in and out 'of Parliament. The Speaker's retiring pension is voted by tho House of Commons, and is ,£4OOO per annum. If Lord .Selby bad not become an admirable Speaker he would have made an ideal judgo, or even perhaps an excellent Lord Chancellor. It was, indeed* a step not without hazard which he. when fib consented to be nominated for the Speakership, for it meant the abandonment of his legal practice, and possible serious consequences in the event of his not being re-elected'to the Chair or of his losing hir seat at Carlisle, In the event neith** happened, and Lord Selby was never called on to resume his labours is courts. Of *his early days at the Ba-r a well-known story is told, going to illustrate the uncertainty which attends the prospects of oven tiio most gifted who woo the goddess of tho bandaged brow. This narrates how, wTdle a junior of the Northern Circuit Bar, the future Speaker and two ot his chums discussed seriously tho advisability of abandoning the law for some more lucrative calling hi India or one of tho colonies. Luckily they all decided to give fortune another chance, with very notable results. Mr Gully ended as Speaker of thf) House of Commons; another became Lord Chancellor Herschell; while the third, afterwards Lord Bussell, became Lord Chief Justice of England. As an advocate Mr Gully won, in time, a lucrative practice, Ho became Recorder of Wigan in ISSG, retaining the position, for nine years; took silk in 1887; and was made a .Bencher of tho Inner Temple in 1889.