H.—No. 13,

4

REPORT OE THE HONORARIUM COMMITTEE.

France. —National Assembly, 18 francs per day for the Session. „ (Restoration). —Nothing. „ (Louis Philippe).—Nothing. „ (Republic, 1848-51). —During Session, 25 francs per day. „ (Empire, 1852). —Senators, £1,200 per annum. Members of Legislative Assembly, £100 per month. Since then a change has taken place: the Deputies £400 each for the Session, but for Sessions of unusual length additional pay is given. Prussia.—9s. per diem and travelling expenses. Austria. —.£1 per diem and travelling expenses. Mr. Reynolds moved. That the payment of Members be fixed at £105 per regular Session, 20s. per day being deducted for each day a Member may be absent from the place of meeting of the Assembly, providing that during the period of his absence the House has held a sitting. Special Sessions, if any, to be paid for at the rate of 20s. per day. Consideration of Mr. Reynolds' motion was postponed. The Committee was adjourned until to-morrow, at 11 o'clock. Tuesday, 31st October, 1871. The Committee met pursuant to adjournment. Present : Mr. Bunny, • Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Henderson, Mr. Swanson, Mr. Lightband, Mr. Thomson. Hon. Mr. Fitzherbert in the Chair. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Mr. Bradshaw, M.H.R., was in attendance, in accordance with the request of the Committee, and read the following statement:— There are very few nations that do not pay Members of Parliament. The exceptions are Great Britain, Italy, Austria, and Spain. The law of England is that Members of the House of Commons shall be paid by their constituents. This law has never been repealed, and can be enforced at any time by any Member through the Lord Chancellor, and the amount will be levied on the county or borough that the Member represents. This has not been done since 1681 : the law, therefore, does not exist, simply from disuse, and not from repeal. In the United States of America it is a part of the Constitution. Article 1, Section Vl—l, says :— " The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for tlicir services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States." Charles Edward Rawlings, when commenting on the Union, says : —" Compensation to Members of Congress is here provided for. It is (ascertained by law.' They are not paid by the Session, but by the day; and, in addition, a mileage allowance for distance between home and the Seat of Government is enacted. They are not paid by the separate States, but from the ' Treasury of the United States/ The receipt of it is not optional; the words are ' they shall receive.' Before doing so, they take a solemn oath 'to support the Constitution ;' and thus the compensation becomes, as it was doubtless intended to be, an acknowledgment of its national character." Then, again, Story says : —" The compensation is fixed with a liberal view to the national duties, and is paid from the national purse. If the compensation had been left to be fixed by the State Legislatures, the General Government would have become dependent on the Government of the States; and the latter could almost at their own pleasure have dissolved it. Serious evils were felt from this source under the Confederation, by which each State was to maintain its own delegates in Congress; for it was found that the States too often were operated upon by local considerations, as contradistinguished from general and national interests." A law was passed, 28th July, 18G6, providing that Senators, Representatives, or Delegates shall receive 10,000 dollars for each Congress, or £1,000 per annum ; and mileage at the rate of 1 dollar for every 5 miles at the commencement and end of each Session. In Mexico, Members of both Houses receive a salary of 2,000 dollars a year. In Canada, £1 ss. per day is paid, provided the Session does not extend beyond 30 days. If it extend beyond 30 days, each Member receives sessional allowance of £125. Payment is also made to Local States Legislatures of the United States of America and Canada. In Brazil, Members of Senate receive £400 per annum, and Members of the House of Congress £270 per annum; besides travelling expenses. In Portugal, Members of the Lower House receive 10s. per day during the Session. In Sweden, Members of the Lower House are paid at the rate of £66 13s. 4d. each Session, in addition to travelling expenses. In Norway, Members of both Houses receive 13s. 3d. per day during the Session, and travelling expenses. In Holland, payment to Members of Lower House is made at the rate of £160 per annum.