The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1885. THE DEADLOCK IN QUEENSLAND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2145, 14 November 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1885. THE DEADLOCK IN QUEENSLAND.

. e The deadlock in Queensland, which was reported in our Renter's messages yesterday, is the result of a long-stand-ing struggle. The same battle has been fought with varying success in all the Legislatures of the Colonies, and its echo has even been heard in thelmperial Parliament. By compelling members to rely altogether on their own purses, the poor man and the man of moderate means were most effectually provented from offering their services to the country, and only the man of wealth could afford to become a candidate for Parliamentary honors. The majority of the masses'of the people everywhere has long been of "opinion that representatives in Parliament should receive some remuneration for their loss of time, and that while it is witheld there is too much risk of class legislation. The question with them has been more one of amount than anything else, as an excessive payment must necessarily tend to the creation of that most undesirable element—professional politicians. In Victoria the honorarium was fixed at £3OO a year, and the result has beon a most undesirable one. In New Zealand it amounts to two hundred guineas per annum, which, on the whole, seems reasonable, In almost every instance when the question has been raised it has met with vigorous opposition in the Upper Chamber, the member? of which generally consist of men whoso purses are ample, to meet all the expenses involved by attending to their duties, This is apparently the case in Queensland. It is of course mpossible to foretell how the deadlock will end. We are however of opinion that the facts have not- been correctly put by Reuter. The message relates that on July 30th last the Legislative Council threw out the- payment of Members Bill, which had already passed the Assembly, and the Government intimated at the time that they would recommend His Excellency the Governor to include in the estimates a sufficient sum to pay the expenses of members of the Assembly for the current session. The recommendation has been adopted, and. the Legislative Council in retaliation has now erased the vote of £7OOO for payment ot members, from the Appropriation Bill. We think that is is far more probable that Ministers had the amount inserted as a challenge to the Legislative Council, which could only throw out the whole bill, under the belief that the item would thus be passed through, and that the whole measure has been thrown out.