POLITICIANS' SALARIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 21 March 1907, Page 2

POLITICIANS' SALARIES.

New Zealand politicians need not fetil ashamed of themselves when they learn that the members of Parliament in Montenegro have reduced their own salaries from .CuOO to C 250 per annum. Montenegro is not an important place, but the incident shows the self-abnega-tion of (he M'w.P. of that place is worthy of remark, seeing that a few years ago New Zealand M's.lfcß. altered the amount of their own salaries. The difference between the M's.P. of Montenegro and those of New Zealand is that the latter raised their salaries. We believe in a good salary for M. 511. R., but if there is one question on which the voice of the people should be heard it is in connection with the wages of the men whom the people send to Parliament. Polities is, of all occupations, the o .e that should be taken by only flic most capable men. It is curious that politics in nearly all countries is looked upon as a sort of ••extra," and not as the real cvery-day work of members, Politics really requires as much study as law, medicine or any other profession, lmt politicians, because they have too. little time io devote to their politcal work, really only dabldo in it. A lawyer doesn't only dabble in law, nor docs the doctor merely play with the science of medicine. Hither he devotes the whole of bis timfc to the study or practice of his profession. lie expects to get paid for his devotion. So docs the politician, who, as a rule, knows so little about the half-profession he has been elected to learn. The quaiut thing about it is that he gets paid for the work he might do if he were a competent man, and the person who sits in the House for the first time is getting the some wages for doing it as if he were a very learned politician indeed. In our humble opinion no man should be eligible for Parliament until he has given proof of his fitness and until he has provided himself to be above suspicion in character. We believe that there are too many Members in New Zealand, and too few good ones. Some of these days the people will demand that politicians applying to them for a billet must know something of the work they are going to tackle. In every other avocation, the master demands knowledge from the man before lie oilers hiui work at fair wages. And so it should be in politics.