POLITICIANS AND THEIR PAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1092, 3 April 1911, Page 5

POLITICIANS AND THEIR PAY.

WHAT FOREIGN COUNTRIES GIVE. A return made to the House of Commons some years ago gives some interesting, otherwise not easily accessible, information as to the custom in foreign Legislatures. It will bq seen that in the jnnjority of cases payment is made by the day. Austria allows lGs. Btl. per day during the session and travelling expenses; Belgium .£l7 per month during the^session tor those riot residing in the• capital (no separate travelling expenses or free passes); Bulgaria, 16s. per day during the session (12s. for members living in any city where the Assembly meets), and 6d. per kilometre £or travelling expenses, or • nrst-clasS fare where railway or steamer is available; Denmark, 6s. Bd. per day during the session and travelling expenses (also a freo scat in the Royal .Theatre); France, JC3GO per annum, free passes on State railways, and the right, on payment of Ss. per month, to travel first-class on every line; Greece, .£72 per session, and about £10 for an extraordinary session; Hungary, ,£2()0 per . annum, and ,£66 for house, rent, with reduced charges and special privileges for railway travelling. The Netherlands allot to legislators £166 per annum (Second Chamber),, and 16s. . Bd. per day (First Chamber), together with travelling expenses; Portugal, free passes on State railways to and from Lisbon; 'Rumania, £1 a day during the session, free passes on railways, and travelling expenses whero posting is necessary; Sweden, .£66 13s. per session (Second Chamber) and travelling expenses; Norway, 13s. id. per day during presence in the Legislature, with 11s. a day travelling expenses, besides actual fares, freo nursing, and medical attendance during the session; Servia, Bs. ■Id. per day during the session, and 2s. Gd. per hour for travelling expenses, while actually travelling; Switzerland, 16s. for each day on which the roll-call is answered, and 2d. per kilometre travelling expenses; whilst the United States makes the exceptionally handsome allowance- of .£10(10 a year, 10d. per mile travelling expenses, and i:25 a year for stationery. Liko England, Spain makes no payment of any kind to members, and gives no freo railway passes. ■