THE £100 BONUS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 131, 29 November 1929, Page 13

THE £100 BONUS

CANDIDATES' VIEWS

MR. COATES ATTACKED

A SCUEVY TEICK

While agreeing that the Leader of the Opposition (the Eight Hon. J. G. Coates) had played an unfair trick in the House of at the close of the recent session on the question of the £100 allowance, which members voted themselves, Mr. J. Kerr and Mr. W, Nash, United and Labour Party candidates respectively in the Hutt byelection campaign, expressed differing views in their speeches last night on the principle of the bonus.

"It is one of the things that I am ashamed members of Parliament did," declared Mr. Kerr. "I think it could very well have been left over, and it would have been much better if all parties had said: *We have too much unemployment; we have under-paid men waiting for redress, and we can't in any degree of decency accept this money, because we can't meet our liabilities.' If they had said that they would have risen in the public estimate. Now two or three are beginning to see that they can't get away with it, and the matter has been made the subject of a lot of talk. The United Party's attitude is quite clear. All parties considered the matter, and it was unanimously agreed to approach' Sir Joseph Ward and ask him'to sanction the £100. Sir Joseph Ward said if all parties were unanimous he would sanction the allowance. The three parties agreed to take it." ■; A voice; "Not the Socialistic Party, surely!" Mr. Kerr: "Yes, they agreed, and I am not going to blame them any more than any other party. I believe the allowance came at the wrong time, and it will not do any good to any man who took it."_ A voice: "What about Coates's attitude?" Mr. Kerr: "When all parties are agreeable, it is pretty low-down to leave your mate in the mud. Mr. Coates was leader of his party, and he must have consented to Mr. Harris * going to the Prime Minister on behalf of Reform. Mr. Harris has since repudiated Mr. Coates." : -..-■■■. "A SCURVY TRICK." ' The Labour candidate, Mr. Nash, speaking at Petone, said that the present payment of £450 to all members was unfair in. that members from outside districts had to keep two homes going when in Wellington during the Parliamentary session, and in addition those representing country districts had heavy travelling expenses to meet in visiting the parts of the electorate away from the railway. One member of the Beform Party, representing one of the largest country electorates, had told him that the whole of his salary went in expenses. ' ' Some provision should be made to make the payments more equal and to recompense the outside members for the second home required during the Parliamentary session, and the country members for heavier travelling expenses. "With these facts in mind representatives; of all the parties met, and after discussion it was agreed that the Government should be approached and asked to make provisions for the expenses he had detailed. The Government agreed, and the allowance previously mentioned was placed before Parliament. Several members spoke in support of the -allowance, and then Mr. Coates made one of the most" unjust statements, the speaker had heard. / SCENE IN THE HOUSE. "Before repeating the statement," said Mr. Nash, "I desire to point out that the agreement had been made by all parties, but that the members of all the. parties were not unanimous. I know of members of the Labour Party who did not consider that the allowance should have been made last session, but the Government had been approached by representatives of all parties, and a scene took place in the House after Mr.-Coates had spoken. .Mr. Harris, the Eeform member for Waitemata, stated the facts, and concluded by saying that he .had discussed the matter ■with Mr. Coates, who had told him that certain members had offered objection, but that the party had decided not to oppose the proposal. "It's an unfair trick to assume the virtue of not taking the money when they had not the courage to record their votes against it," said Mr. Nash. "When the question was up before the House. for decision a division was called for, but the members opposed had not the courage of their convictions in that they finally decided not to call for a division but to allow the matter to go on the voices. You will see what a scurvy trick was played." A voice: "Shameful." TIME INOPPORTUNE. ' "I have always advocated," said Mr. Nash,"that the travelling expenses of members representing country electorates should be paid, and that some allowance should be made to outside members on account of hotel and other expenses in Wellington. No political, industrial, or , social - organisation or business firm would expect its servants to defray their own expenses, and we ought not to expect our members to.do so—but having said that I consider the time for adjusting the anomalies was inopportune, and particularly in the closing days of the session.* Inopportune because the Government, supported by the Eeform Party, had just turned down a request from the Public servants for an increase in salary, which was as sound on the evidence a3 the case for the members of Parliament, and the Government had in addition refused an admitted claim by the school committees for increased grants. "The Labour members were the only men who -acted consistently. They used all the power'tb obtain the increase for the Public servants, but were defeated by a combination of the other parties. The time was inopportune, but there's no credit coming to either Mr. Coates or Mr. Wright if they obtain ' a cheap advertisement after the party to which they belong had approached the Government to make the "VJowance. Neither are they entitled to assume the virtue of self-sacrifice un.^*Bs the members' £-450 is the total of their political income. There's no need to worry about either Mr. Jenkins or Mr. Poison.. They both have so much cash on hand that £100 here or. there makes little difference. "Finally, Mr. Johnston, the Eeform candidate, cannot get' away with his opposition to the allowance, seeing that more members of tho Eeform Party are responsible for it than the members from any other party."