PAYMENT OF MEMBERS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 71, 5 September 1874, Page 5

PAYMENT OF MEMBERS.

"While freely admitting the justice and strength cf the arguments which have been adduced in favor of our legislators receiving something more tangible than bare honor, we imagine there are few outside of the senators themselves — to whom the system adopted by our law-makers, of annually sitting in judgment on the assessment of their own claims on the country, does not appear objectionable. Human nature is human nature, and unfortunately members of Parliament, privileged though they be in many respects, are not exempt from the weaknesses of ordinary mortals. There a^ few persons, indeed, who value their own worth and ability at the modest figure at which porbably their fellows estimate the commodities; and it is scarcely fail to members themselves — as it decidedly is not to the country — to ask them to appraise their own value, and set a price upon their services. We do not imagine that by the annual outlay of the public money a purelrad unadulterated class of legislators can be found, any more than we imagine it to be impossible that a man may faithfully serve his country without any pecuniary recompense whatever ; but we do assert that in a young and growing country such as this, the non-payment of members has a tendency to exclude from Parliamentary life many honest and able men, whose worldly position will not admit of pecuniary sacrifice. There are, of course, many men upon whom fortune has so smiled that pecuniary recompense would be a matter of utter indifference, whose services ever at the command of the public — would be far from a gain, even on those most desirable terms ; and others still, in whose cases the amount of the honorarium would be more advantageously expended in securing the abseuce than in retaining the services of the recipients. To men who are at all burdened with a sense of delicacy, the debate which crops up each Session when the loaves and fishes are being divided, must be a most trying one. Modesty is not a virtue which a political career is calculated to foster, and the chances are that hon. members in estimating their calibre, and ticketing their services to the country, are apt to overvalue their time and abilities, and recoup themselves accordingly. The inadvisability of a continuance of the very unsatisfactory sytem of remuneration at present in operation, must have made itself apparent to everyone. Were a specific amount allowed those members whose means are such as to require a reimbursement for their services, much of the unseemly exhibitions which. have charac-

terised the debate, would be thereby avoided. While the battle is fought out by a consistent few, there are many, who, if not by word, at least by action, profess an unfavorable view of the matter, but who quietly allow their feelings to be outraged by the acceptance of the honorarium without the" slighest demur. Those members who rise in the House, when the delicate question comes before it, and boldly declare that they are the hired servants of the public, that they do a certain amount of work for a consideration, and expect an adequate and fair amount of remuneration in return, are entitled to a certain meed of respect ; but there are others who are advocates for the position being purely one of honor, but when the tempting bait is held within their reach, do violence to their scruples and pocket their share of what they consider to be an unwise and improper expenditure of the public money. This is a most anomalous position in which to be placed, consequent, no doubt, on a too sensitive desire to avoid invidious comparisons being drawn in their favor to their neighbor's detriment, and one which the State should seek to remedy The difficulty might be met by a law that only those members whose voices and votes were recorded in favor ,of payment for services be recompensed, thereby delicately relieving many from the dilemma, and" doing away with the objectionable custom of forcing men to accept remuneration, to the receipt of which they are averse, not to speak of the— possible— reduction in the expenditure of the country. An objection might be urged, however, to this mode of payment by opinion, inasmuch as it would create, as it were, an honorary or stipendiary distinction between members of the House, but this objection mi^ht be removed by the amount of the honorarium receivable being bestowed on one of the various charitable institutions, thus proving sincerity, and aiding a deserving object. Were the plan which we have advocated adopted, and those whose voices and votes are in favor of their being recouped for their services, competent to receive such, many would be relieved from their present false positions ; for we look on the fact of either forcing mouey upon men, or placing it too temptingly within the reach of those who say they do not want it, is adding insult to injury.