WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 November 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

“ AN ALLOWANCE.”

MEMBERS TREAT THEMSELVES

(Special Correspondent.)

•; i 4 WELLINGTON, November 11

The Wellington daily papers are in harmony in denouncing the action of the House df Representatives in increasing the. salaries of its members, except those of. Ministers of the Crown, for the current year from £450 to £550. The “Post” finds some ;exciise for the Government in the fact that it took action as the result of ' representations from all three parties,” and it admits that the Labour Party is consistent in demanding for its 'own representatives in Parliament what : it would have given to the members "iT the. Civil Service. But it protests against the public having been given no opportunity to consider the proposal , and against the rapidity with which it was earned through the House .and the Council. “The prseent scale of parliamentary pay was fixed seven .years ago,’’ it says. “ There has been 'rid substantial change since in "Vigations thrust upon the members. If was adequate then .it is adequate now;. This seems ;•> a the general opinion and in many quarters it ie-/.being; expressed, very, frankly.

• WITH EMPHASIS. The ' l ' Dpminipn .' expresses itself much more emphatically than does its eveningjcoujegi'parnry, obviously seeking to kill more than one .bird with the same, stone. ..j" The Government, it tells its .readers,.'“ declined the request of .public, servants for an increase in the salaries of the lower-paid members of the Service on the ground that the time was inopportune for any increase in public expenditure. It loaded the farming oemmunity. with increased taxation on the ground that jt was necessary to miUce financial ends meet; and under the'same pretext imposed additional primage taxation on the whole of the people of the Dominion. Now it stultifies all its professions by increasing members’ salaries bv £IOO a head, for the' current year. The morning paper, though . not, of course, entirely unbiased, seems to hqye made out the,.better case against the. increase. If, the increase was justified by the heavy, cost pf the recent election, as several speakers,; contended, then surely the unsuccessful candidates should have . been adequately recompensed. ir, nr;

' HIGH, COMMISSIONERSHIP. In the concluding hours of the session of Parliament on Saturday various questions!- were put t«> the ActingLeader of , the. House and other Ministers, without notice, concerning matters that, werm exercising the curiosity elf both the politicians and the public. The Right^ Hon. J., G. Coates wanted to know when the successor to Sir James Pnrr in the Higii-Commissioiter-ship would be announced. The. Leader of the Opposition thought it would be a graceful thing on the part of the Government to .take .the members of the House into 1 its'‘ confidence oiv this subject before they returned to their homes.' But the Hon. G. W. Forbes, the Acting-Leader, was not to be drawn. The only retort of, any consequence obtained was an inquiry from Mr W. E. Parry, of the Labour Party, as to whether he had his own portmanteau. in readiness lor the job. Mr Coates had not, as ha smiled across the House to the 1a ok benches, but' he still thought Parliament should have the information he required.

- GUY FAWKES.

It has been left to a lady, Mrs Catherine Beeket, of Paraparaumu—who deserves to have her courage proclaimed abroad—to write to the newspapers this year . protesting against the barbarities of “ Guy Fawke’s Day.” “We teach our little ones,” Mrs Beeket says, “not to run into danger, or play with fire, all the year,. yet when November the, .fifth comes round, the tiniest toddler can usually get as many matches, and explosives as he can use, our sole excuse for allowing this, being that it is the custom. Irresponsibles of any age can run around dropnmg sparks, frightening horses, and mparing themselves and others ; buil J'nr.s are set alight and some people are even blinded.” Added to the perils of this anniversary is the stupidity of perpetuating a paragraph in the history of < nr race which should have' been expun rod from our reading books three hundred years ago. Surely there are many V ilr r events in the calendar which could provide' the youngsters with more wholesome entertainment than they obtain •from “Guy.”