The Daily News TUESDAY, JUNE 23. THE COST OF GOVERNMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 156, 23 June 1908, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, JUNE 23. THE COST OF GOVERNMENT.

The professional addle,., ilirliv4.-r.-il liy ' Sir. Okey. .M.I 1 ., on Friday partouU in character mui'i- of tin- nut lire of a post- ' sessional ili'livi'i'v. in lli.it ho con lino I j his i-4iiiaiks almost whollv to n n-vit'w .if til.' work of last session. With most of till' jjrnund i'ovi'l'oii, in consequence, his i-onslitui'iils were iili'i'iuly familiar. speaker an opportunity of cplainino. tin- attitude In' had adopted with regard to tin' session's IcgMation. ami ge.iicriilly giving mi ai-t'innil of his stcwarj ship. Alllimi!.'li with many of his views we i-annot agree, \vi- an- prepared to admil that for a now inciitln-r .Mr. Okey has displayed a praiseworthy activity in tlio lioii-e. iiuili-r tin' judicious schooling of li--, i-liii-f. There is no occasion, at this tinii'. lo re-open political dill'i-r- I cm-os. and, iiiuri-iiv.-r, the speech on Fri day. being retrospective ralher than prospective in character, calls for w particular at trillion. On the otitstand in:.' Micial and political queslinn of th. day, however—the laliour problem am arbitration—Jlr. Okey exhibited weak noss. While lie strongly expressed hi opposition lo imprisoumenl for strik ing, he candidly admitted he had m remedy to oiler, except that the union ists should run their own unions, insteai of being run themselves liy agitator There is one matter mentioned liy IMI Okey. however, that is of not incon snlcrablc imporlance— Iho reprcsenln tion (|uestiun, which will probably coin up for consideration (his session. 'l'll lb-presentation (utuuiission's rcconi meiiiliitiiin. I kit. throe new electorates li foniied in Ihe North Island, and Urn the South Island's electorates be reduce by three, which takes oli'ect at the nex general election, is being opposed b I South Island members, notably Mi | -lames Allen, whose electorate,' limn I lias been considerably increased to en brace a very large'proportion of th j present Tuupeka electorate. Jlr. (Ike expressed bis strong opposition to Hi j number of electorates being increase J to aliow of the South Island reUiiniii its present representation, and state his beiief that it would lie better to n duce the number of legislators by oni halt. We are in entire accord with tl: member's contention that the Humbert electorates should not lie increased, ; present at any rate. I'lir'hcr, it eanni be contended that the population lias) having due regard, of course, to tl exigencies of new- districts undergoii settlement, is not, logically, the fair* basis on which to allocate elector boundaries. At the same time, the should be some limit to the lerritori area thai any one memlier should lnr to represent. It is quite obvious tin ill a purely farming district, devoid centres of population, the time m:' come when country members would I required to represent huge electoral calling for an expenditure of time ai money altogether disproportionate the duties of representatives of closel settled communities ami cities. In democratic a country as Xew Zoalu I this i- a ipie-tion th.u mu-i sooner i I:".-'.' be disposed of. Il i, an aekno I iedged fad that Xew Zealand rcquir more from its Parliamentary rcpr.-.sc laliv.es than any country in' tin- won In a new country undergoing rapid i! velopment ami expansion, and in v.-hi the activities of State enterprise a in almost universal evidence, it is on natural that such is the case. The <pi< lion therefore arises, arc our represent fives receiving adequate remunera'.i for their services': While there in-.iv diU'erenees of opinion on the point, the can be no question that some mcmlii are ealled upon to expend infinite more time ami moiiev in carrying o their duties tl,a„ others of their un. fortunately placed colleagues. l'„r i stance, if !':fi)o per annum is a rca.-o able remuneration for the member Xowtown .(Wellington), who could cov the whole of his electorate in an ho or so i„ hi, motor, it i\ unfair that t member for. sin. (|,,. new Taumaiun electorate should be expected to car out his duties for a similar allowam Whereas in the ca „. „f i|„. t .j tv ,„. he need scarcely neglect his businc tor a day. the couulrv meinber has , devote praclicaliy the whole of his til \ to the requirements of his eoiistituen As witness Jlr. Jennings' case. On last week Jlr. Donald Keid. who repi seats Taieri on the Opposition benclu notified his decision not to again se< re-election, on the ground thai he con not, all'onl the saciilice of his priva businc- interests. Wo ] MV ,- ~ ,|j nlm recollection of his predecessor, the Ho W. Carni-ross, when he retired, mukii an almo.-t similar statement, to the ( feet lhal to continue to hold olliee won be courting disaster (o bis busiues which had already suiTcred seriously 1 enlurci'd neglect. There is „,., deiivii the fact that representatives of electc ales remote from Wellington are ealli "poll In make very considerable saei lici's for 1 1,,- honor of representing II people in rnrlinmcnl. We are strong ot opinion that I In; lime has arrivt when (he honoraria j.aid to menihe should In' revised, or, in the allornaliv some eipiiuilile and differential scale < allowance, should be framed. 1„ t | leattci pf li-eMalive Co si, it is oftlim. allege.) thai i\ew Zealand is an ove goverued country, but ours is a me eirciiiustaii'-e compared to (he cost , government in Australia. AVhereas Ne Zealand possesses one (.iovernor, .SO ele live representatives, ami 45 Legislate Councillors, with salaries, including tl Jlimarv, lolalling .C4S.HUO per aiinui; Australia has seven liovernors, 4: members of the Lower Houses, 2:17 men hers of the Upper Houses., with seve .Ministries, at an annual cost in salarii alone of €2R(l,l)4(). ]„ o tli,-r words, til salaries of legislators in Australia repn sents a tax of Is 4d per head of the 41, millions of population, as compared wit U%d per head in New Zealand on til basis of .1 one-million population, ft nearly forty ]lOl - ( ~,n (. _ moro | would seem, therefore, either that Antraban politicians are underworked e overpaid, or that New Zealand memhei are overworked or underpaid. I'nloJlr. Okey i, n f opinion thai salarii should be raised, we o.mnol hold wit '"in thai il would be belter to rcdue flu- number of members by one-half Th immediate cu'ecl of such a dei-isio would be class representation, for non bit; men of independent means coul l'ossibiy Mir.,,,1 |„ lluM ~ „,..„ in ~n . | i;i incut. While this i-ouiinv is oppose t<> the proiessional politician, it is „,„