NOT ENOUGH PAY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1788, 6 November 1919, Page 6

NOT ENOUGH PAY.

POLITICIANS HARD UP. AN INCREASE PROMISED. [From Our Own Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, NOvember 5. To-day, in the last few hours of its active life, New Zealand's "Long Parliament" gave public expression to its opinion that the present honorarium of £3OO per annum paid to members of the House of Representatives is totally inadequate. When the House met this afternoon, the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey) moved): — That this House desires to express its opinion that the present honorarium of members of Parliament is quite insufficient to enable them to live in reasonable comfort, and is not commensurate with their legislative responsibility. This House therefore recommends the next Parliament to take this subject into consideration, with a view to making more satisfactory provision for the salaries of its members, and enabling a superannuation scheme to be established so that men who have-given many years of service to the State may not find themselves in the evening of life insufficiently provided for. In moving it. Mr Massey said that the resolution was the outcome of a deputation which had waited upon him some little time ago, and presented a "round robin," signed by between CO and 70 hon. members, and expressing the opinion—an opinion with which he cordially agreed—that the present honorarium was quite inadequate for the work that had to be done by every member of Parliament, and for the responsibilities of the position. It was simply impossible for any member with a familv to live on the £3OO a year received from the State, and it was equally impossible for him to make anv provision for his declining years. Hon. members might have businesses outside, but no business man would come into Parliament without making a very serious loss. He thought that the time had come when they should make up their minds that that sort of thing should go on no longer. He was quite satisfied that the electors would agree that members of Parliament in this country should be paid the same honorarium as in other countries, especially British countries. He had heard that members of the New Zealand Parliament were the lowest paid in the Empire. The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward (Leader of the Opposition): That is sol

The Prime Minister stated that in Australia the honorarium ranged up to £SOO and £6OO per annum; that in South Africa was £600; and members of the British Parliament got £4OO per annum. Sir Josenh Ward: In the United States it is" £IOOO.

Mr Massey: That is, $5000? Sir Joseph Ward: Yes I Mr Massey: I was not aware of that. He added that it would be a wrong time —in the dying hours of what would probably go down in the history of New Zealand as the "Long Parliament," to put legislation regarding this matter upon the Statute Book. The proper thing, under the circumstances, would be to leave anv possible increase to the next Parliament. Let candidates go before the electors and state what they would do in this respect,.and he did not think the electors would take any possible exception. Something should be done„too, in the way of „ providing a Superannuation Fund. In past years, men had come into the House and served for terms of 20. 25 or 30 years, and, at the end, had found themselves very much worse off financially than when they came into politics. That was not a desirable state of things, and it seemed to him that the least that could be done for such hon. members as that was to assist in providing a superannuation scheme, so that, when the time came for an hon. member to retire—either compulsorilv or otherwise—from politics, there need be no anxiety on his behalf.

Sir Joseph Ward seconded the motion. He said that he felt quite satisfied, as the result of long experience in Parliament, that hon. members could not possibly pay their way on th,e nresent honorarium. It seemed to him that the right course was bein*? adopted in not making any apnlication or proposal to the present Parliament. It would be for the people to judge as to whether or not the honorarium was sufficient. Tt had to be remembered that, in this country, the increase in the ordinary duties of members of Parliament within the last 10 years had been phenomenal. The work expected of an bon. member was now probably five times greater than that of 10 years ago. It showed that hoh. members wer*> brought more closely into touch with the people now. In Australia, a £6OO honorarium had not been found more than adequate. Mr H. E. Holland (Grev) supported the motion, although, he said, Labour members did not come into Parliament to make money. Hon. members were, however, entitled to a wage eoual to that of an ordinary working man. He would be nuite satisfied if, over and above the election expenses, he had the average wage of a working man in his constituency. The present honorarium was no better than £2 10/per week before the War.. Mr L. t M. Isitt (Christchurch North) said that this was an intensely democratic proposal. He supported it. Mr J. Payne (firey Lynn) arcued that the country should not ask hon. members to come there for less than £OOO per annum. Mr C. H. Poole (Auckland West), speaking as one of the members who is not seeking re-election, supported the resolution. He could not see his wav clear financially to.continue in politics unless he could secure some other source of income. The establishment of a superannuation scheme would remove from the Government any .responsibility which it might feel to call veterans of, the House, when tnev ceased to be members, to the Legislative Council. The motion was carried.