Expensive M.H.R’s.

Patea Mail, 24 July 1882, Page 2

Expensive M.H.R’s.

Some needy M.H.R’s have been'trying to “ raise their screws.” A motion was carried in the House to this effect, and on it the Government promised to bring in a bill. They have done so ; but stead of fixing the sessional at £3OO, as the agitators hoped, this bill proposes to fix the amount at £2lO ; and—would yon believe it ? —the bill proposes also to deduct £3 a day fropia member’s pay when, he is not in attendance at the House, Perhaps the bill will be allowed to drop, because those who agitated for it are woefully disappointed. Some members lapped in luxnrionsness complain that the present allowance does not enable them to “live like gentlemen.” Wellj the standard of a “ gentleman’s ” living is hard to fix. We have known a few M.P.’s at Home who spent less on their.sessional sojurn in London than some working men spend in this colony. Others have tried to “ live like gentlemen ” and gener ally spent twice as much as an average peer would spend during the session. The

chief expense, in our experience, is caused by the practice of taking one’s family and servants to occupy some furnished house in the capital, and giving dinner parties and social “at homes ” on a scale of display which no person of ordinary fortune could sustain without a sacrifice. Some of our M. H. R’s want to do this sort of thing at the public expense- The mere sug—gestion is ridiculous; for all that the public can be expected to do is to defray these expenses of travel and lodging which a member would not need to incur if he bad no political duties to discharge. If a member wants the colony to pay not only his personal expenses in Wellington, bnt also those of his family, and of his sisters and his consins and his aunts, he had better resign.