KING GEORGE’S INCOME.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10488, 28 December 1929, Page 3

KING GEORGE’S INCOME.

£lll,BOO PEI: YEAB. How is King George paid? Probably not one in 10.000 of the King’s subjects co'uld answer this question. King George's “salary” of £lll,BOO a. year is paid quarterly by documents described as “negotiable receipts,” which are handed by the assistant Paymaster-General to the King’s treasurer, who, in turn, pays them into the King’s banking account. The other members of the Royal Family who receive money from the nation are paid in the same way, says an. overseas journal. They are the Duke of York, who receives the equivalent, of £25,000; the Duke of Connaught, who gets an equal amount; Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice, who receive £6OOO each: the daughters of the late King Edward, £18,000; and King George’s younger children, who divide £26,000. The Prince of Wales gets no official salary, but as Duke of Cornwall he receives all the income from the duchy so named. This amounts to about £6G,700 a year. Then there is the matter of the salaries of the Prime Minister a.nd the members of the Cabinet. They have no certain tenure of office, as have Hie President of the United States and the members of his Cabinet, but go out of office whenever the Government of which they are members sustains a defeat, either in Parliament or at the hands of the electors. Are they reduced

immediately from some thousands of pounds (£5090 in the Premiei s

case) per annum to nothing, or are their salaries continued for a certain time after the fall of the Government? How soon do members of a new Government begin to draw pay, and by whom arc they paid? Inquiries addressed to Mr W. AV. Henderson, M.P., son of the present Foreign Secretary and head of the Publicity Department of the Labour Party, brought this reply: — “The salaries of Cabinet Ministers are paid monthly by cheque signed by the proper finance officer of the department concerned. Ministers salaries cease as from the date on which the Premier tenders the resignation of his Government, to the King. In the case of fresh appointments, the first advance of salary could be claimed on the last day of the month.”