LABOUR LEADER

Southland Times, Issue 22203, 21 December 1933, Page 6

LABOUR LEADER

VOTE FOR CLERICAL ASSISTANCE. EXPLANATION BY MINISTER. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, December 20. Although the Finance Act passed by Parliament to-day provided expressly for the payment of an annual allowance to the Leader of the Opposition of £IGO in addition to his honorarium, the only reference to the matter in the Supplementary Estimates is the insignificant sum of £36 which is the result of the subtraction of the £124 provided on the main Estimates for clerical assistance.

When the House discussed the authorizing clause last night it was under the impression that the Leader of the Opposition was receiving the £l6O in addition to the £124. That this is still the position is claimed by Mr Coates, who in response to inquiries by a Times representative issued the following statement:

“As stated by me this afternoon during the passage of the Finance Bill, an allowance at the rate of £l6O per annum will be payable in addition to the amount allowed for clerical assistance during th. session. The new arrangement is to charge the cost of the clerical assistance for the Leader of the Opposition to the item ‘extra clerks’ in the main Estimates, under subdivision II where there is sufficient provision already to cover this expenditure. Thus from a budgetary point of view it is necessary to vote only an additional £36 to make up the total of £160.”