Parliamentary Pay

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 744, 17 August 1929, Page 10

Parliamentary Pay

Costly Ministerial Life

HIGH-SALARIED State positions do not necessarily carry with them the hall-mark of personal wealth. If the Prime Minister were to rely solely upon his Ministerial honorarium, he would be one of the poorest men in New Zealand. Prom Ministers to members, politicians the world over are finding that the high cost of official life is cutting deeply into their private funds.

Some members of Parliament earn their salaries, and more; some, like the philosopher of old, “take the cash in hand and waive the rest. . . But all must live, and the distribution of £450 to each man leaves small margin indeed for riotous or expensive living if the social obligations of the constituency are to be met. A guinea or two to a district baby show; a few pounds to become patron of a football club, and so retain the sporting vote; a £lO note to head the parish collection; and the month’s remittance from the Government Treasury at Wellington has dwindled almost to the point at which the tradesman’s account is jeopardised. But the mere member’s embarrassment is a comparatively minor one, for his standard of living is regulated by the size of his remuneration. That is not so in the case of the Prime Minister and his colleagues in the Cabinet. Their standard of living is virtually set by the State, and they are expected to maintain the dignity of their office, entertain their friends on a scale commensurate with their positions, and take their part also in the good government of the country. The famed No. 10 Downing Street is the permanent home of British Prime Ministers—a home noted more for its diplomatic glamour than for its aesthetic attractiveness, and one that is tenanted at the will of people as expressed at every general election. But its upkeep is a burden. Only recently the ex-Prime Minister, Mr. Stanley Baldwin, complained feelingly because his salary of £5,000 was insufficient even to allow him to run a decent motor-car, and that he was in truth living on his capital. Taxation reduces his salary to £3,500. Ministers of the Crown in New Zealand suffer a similar disadvantage, although not in such a marked degree. The Prime Minister receives £I,SOO. A Minister of the Crown, in endeavouring to score a political point off the ex-Prime Minister, mentioned in Parliament last week that £ 10,500 had

been spent on the Ministerial residence in the past three years. Those who are acquainted with the home of past and present Prime Ministers in Tinakori Road, Wellington, however, will appreciate a suggestion that, prior to the renovations, the dwelling appeared as if £50,000 would hardly return it to a condition resembling that of a respectable Ministerial abode. Other Ministers of the Crown, no matter how many portfolios they hold, receive £1,170 a year, with a house allowance of £2OO a year if no Ministerial residence is supplied. Whether they earn their money is beside the point for this analysis. There are silent Ministers, and Ministers who have a great deal to say. There are “rubber stamp” Ministers, and Minister* who override their departmental advisers. Each receives his £1,170 —and perhaps his extra £2OO.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the man who has complete control of Parliament while it is in session, and who does as much entertaining as anyone connected with the House, receives £9OO a year, with an occasional addition for special purposes—and for this figure he must sit in solemn silence and maintain the calm dignity of the Assembly—a tedious job at all times, and one bristling with intricacies and personal discomfort. The Speaker in the Legislative Council draws £750, but his duties are a comparative bed of roses. Rank-and-file members of Parliament are bunched on the £450 a year scale, and their colleagues in the Upper House on £315. One of the little perquisites is the choice of a member in each House as the chairman of committees, who is in effect the Deputy-Speaker. In the Lower House this position is worth £675, including the honorarium of £450, and in the Legislative Council £450. In addition, all members travel free on the railways, send telegrams free in certain circumstances, and receive as well £2 a month in official stamps for their own personal use.