THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1908. OVERWORKED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9189, 8 September 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1908. OVERWORKED.

Onca more the cry has beenraisTd that our Cabinet Ministers are overworked, and there appears to be an inclination on the part of the Government to appoint additional Ministers. The Premier has tragically declared that the people of this country do not want to see Ministers worked to death, and he might have added that even if the people did wish to see their faithful Ministers sacrifice themselves on the altar of duty, the prospects of witnessing such an exhibition are remote indeed. The Pie mier's statement is, of course, absolutely accurate —the people of this country are humane and kind —and the Ministers knowing this would naturally out of deference to the peoples' wishes take care that they did not work themselves to death. The cry of overworked Ministers is being overdone, and the statement that "members of Parliament should be paid very much m"re than they now are, and there is no doybt that Ministers do not receive their due in this respect," recently made in the Ministerial organ is somewhat

alarming. It would be almost impossible believe .that the Government are contemplating not merely an increase in the number of Ministers, but, also raising the Ministerial salaries, as well as the salary of members, were it nut for the knowledge that the present Liberal Government irdulges in extremely extravagant administration. It is a regrettable and well-known iact that professional politicians are not unknown in the House of Parliament. In some instances the voice of the professional politician has been loud and long in the lini, and the surfs'; way to keep him with us, and to increase the number of his kind is to raise his salary. Llovv patriotic doth the soul of man become at the prospect of substantial emolument for services fairly easily rendered? If the salary of a member of Parliament were raised to £I,OOO a year we should have a plethora of candidates, and the most soul stirring and beautiful of speeches. It i? easy to buy ability of a kind with money, but it is impossible to purchase honesty. Hard cash offers of any sum will not convert a ciooked individual into a straightforward man. Neither the standard of politics, nor the tone of our members

will be improved by increasing their salaries. Patriotism is the real motive that should induce a man to endeavour to serve his country. 'Che flame of patriotism should be constantly fanned by every true servant of the State, whether he be member or elector. The present salary paid to members of Parliament is ample for all the ordinary needs ot life. As a matter of fact in view of the present financial condition of the country the people cannot afford to pay any more, and we do not believe that the great majority of members in the

House wish for any ( increase upon the salary they now leceive. The contention that the Premier of the country,'owing to the importance of his position, should be paid a huge salary, is utterly absurd. The Leader of the Government sometimes tenders signal services to his country, and at other times, though he may be the best intentioned of politicians, his efforts prove to be of an injurious character. Furthermore we cannot 'conceive that there can be any necessity for increasing the number of Ministers. By way of illustration, we doubt if most of the members of the New Zealand Cabinet are as old as the Prime Minister of Great Britain, and it is questionable if any one of them gets through half as much work as the Kt. Hon. H. H. Asquith; certainly not a single member of our Cabinet performs work of such j a high standard—nor anything approaching" such severe mental work as falls to the lot of the British

Prime Minister. If our Ministers are overworked it is because the system they pursue is hopelessly bad. They nhould attend strictly to Departmental affairs, and leave electioneering alone until the proper time arrives for them to appeal to the country.