MR. COATES DECLINES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 128, 26 November 1929, Page 11

MR. COATES DECLINES

LABOUR CRITICISM

At least two members of the House of Representatives have declined to accept the £100 addition to their honorarium which was approved by Parliament in the dying hours of the recent session. In addition to Mr. E. A. Wright (Beforin, AVellington Suburbs), who gave an emphatic assurance on the floor of the House that he would not accept the money on the ground that he had not informed his constituents at the election that he would support such a proposal, the- Leader of the Opposition (the Eight Hon. J. G. Coates) now declares that he does not intend to take it. Mr. Coates has given instructions for the cheque to be returned to the Treasury; he says he will not accept it until the lowerpaid Civil servants have received their promised increase.

A Press Association telegram from Auckland Btates that Mr. W. E. Parry, Labour member for Auckland Central, commenting on the decision of the Leader of the Opposition not to accept the £100, said that any member could please himself in the matter, but it did seem extraordinary that the Leader of the Eeform Party should make such an announcement immediately before the Hutt by-election.

"It looks to me suspiciously like a £100 worth of political advertising," said Mr. Parry. "It 5s grossly inconsistent for Mr. Coates to adopt this attitude, because when he was Prime Minister he favoured an additional remuneration for members. We all understood that the members of the three parties were unanimously in f avour v of the extra payment to members, Mr. Harris having reported that the Reform Party was in favour and Mr. Smith reporting '■■ on behalf of the United Party, while I ascertained the Labour attitude. It was a great surprise to hear Mr. Wright and Mr. Coates object when the £100 bonus was brought forward. Mr. Wright, too, is inconsistent, for is it not a fact that he drew £200 house allowance annually for three years when Minister for Education despite the fact that he was living in his own home!"