Untitled

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19165, 23 November 1927, Page 13

future no applications should be made 'without the previous approval of the Assembly. In these circumstances the congratulations I tendered are quite unwarranted, and as a matter of conscience it is my duty to withdraw them. This unreservedly I do.] A short time ago Members of Parliament almost unanimously represented! to Mr Coatcs that their salaries —a beggarly £450 a year—were too low and ought to be raised. Details were not given or, if given, were not published, or if published T didn't see them, so I am reduced to inference and speculation as to what, they were; At first sight the present salary seems ample, bub there are the inevitable deductions. First there's the cost of getting "into Parliament and secondly the cost of keeping in. To get in thero are the election expenses. Voters must be wooed and propitiated, whence subscriptions, bazaars, and what not. Then to keep in constituents must be sweetened in divers ways—all costing monev. Mr Coates was a Member himself, and would easily understand what all this involved. Deducting evervthing, the miserable residue was palpablv insufficient to properly maintain them. That seems to be the Members' case. On this footing it would appear that they treat themselves as employed on a job at a hxed rate of wages. The Arbitration Court has fixed a rate- and based! it on the average cost of living. The rate is about 16s a day. If this doesn't apply to Members of Parliament there are people who sav it ought to, and the sooner it's made to apply the better These people indeed go further, and declare that if Members are not satisfied with what they get their simple bourse is to resign TheremwuMi be no difficulty m replacing them. And so forth and so on. The reply is that these people are not in Parhanient and if thev once got in would be the first To clamour for a rise. Bather a neat rejoinder this, you would say. lime was, protest these people, when Mem. bcrs got no salary at all. They contested * * eat for the honour . of r"T«? - and if elected, found their abundant reward in the good" they could do the ountry. Yes, retort, the Members, but in those days only rich men stood and if elected were content with the lion our and glory of it. We scorn such motive and" if we devote our timc : TaS ana energy to the pnblk-emee vo are entitled to be paid for it, ana fairly paid too. The prescn "^ remedy before resorting to Umt. Henc Spiv, but, a'hem, at the present 3inuture and in the pre; statem 'lefttomke.thobertoMt. Andhu let me mention a ires 1 cx l , i imr-enils if our unemployed take a kat i o o the book of their brethren , n SeVs'outh Wale... TJe o ; graph appears in a '.cent. >aue- ! paper: — • I A meeting of unemployed ycit.-r----i d av resolved to ask Members ot Par. ' 'anient to forgo a *«£• «» O *J ance to help workers. *£»«*>» oi ! Parties both Federal and btatc, are to be addressed by letter with regard 1 to the urgency of the request. What will Mr Holland and his confederates say if they are appealed to in this way T Sec Mr Coatcs again, 1 suppose.

A short time ago Members of Parliament almost unanimously represented to Mr Coatcs that their salaries —a beggarly £450 a year—were too low and ought to be raised. Details ■were not given or, if given, were not I published, or if published T didn't see J them, so I am reduced to inference and speculation as to what, they were; At first sight the present salary seems ample, but there are the inevitable deductions. First there's the cost of getting "into Parliament and secondly the cost of keeping in. To get in thero are the election expenses. Voters must be wooed and propitiated, whence subscriptions, bazaars, and what not. Then to keep in constituents must be sweetened in divers ways—all costing monev. Mr Coates was a Member himself, and would easily understand what all this involved. Deducting everything, the miserable residue was palpablv insufficient to properly maintain them. That seems to be the Members' case. On this footing it would appear that they treat themselves as employed on a job at a used rate of wages. The Arbitration Court has fixed a rate- and based! it on the average cost of living. The rate is about 16s a day. If this doesn't apply to Members of Parliament there are people who sav it ought to, and the sooner it's made to apply the better These people indeed go further, and declare that if Members are not satisfied with what they get the.r simple bourse is to resign There-wouldi be no difficulty m replacing them. And so forth and so on. The reply is that these people are not in Parhanient and if thev once got in would be the first to clamour for a rise. Bather a neat rejoinder this, you would say. lime was, protest these people, when Membcrs got no salary at all. They contested a seat for the honour, of winning - t and if elected, found their abundant reward in the good" they could do the ountry. Yes, Atort the Members, but in those days only »"VtTe lron if elected were content with the lion our and glory of it. We scorn such motive and" if wc devote our tune, SS ana energy to the publk-emee v,-o are entitled to be paid for it, ana fairly paid too. The prescn > remedy before resorting to Hence Spiv, but, a'hem, at the present 3unature and in the pre; nt_ state ot the 'lefttoinake.thobertoMt. Andhue let me mention a ires 1 cx l . i impends if our unemployed take a kat i o o the book of their brethren , B SeVs'outh Wale... The o Para- ; graph appears in a '.cent. >aue- ! paper: — • I A meeting of unemployed ycit,-r----i d av resolved to ask Members ot Par- ' 'anient to forgo a *"£• a » o^ ance to help workers. Qis of ! Partic- both Federal and btatc, are to be addressed by letter with regard 1 to the urgency of the request. What will Mr Holland and his confederates say if they are appealed to in this wayT See Mr Coatcs again, 1 suppose.