MINISTERIAL TRAVELLING EXPENSES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2244, 15 March 1886, Page 2

MINISTERIAL TRAVELLING EXPENSES.

Mr W. J, Hurst, member for Waitemata (Auckland) moved early last session " That there be laid on the table a return of the travelling allowances drawn by eaoh Minister and attendants since 1879 in each yoar." It appears that Ministers, when away from the seat of Government, in addition to " travelling oxponses," calculated evidently on a very liberal scale, also drawn under the pretext and, name of " travelling allowance," so many—we do not know exactly how many—guineas a day. This i 8 altogether supplementary to the salaries paid im.der the Civil I4st| in t)|o page p| fihe, Erern,'ier, and'of his' colleagues'£;i,2so ayear. Mjn^tenj - ' father, are provided 'with a furnished'house in Wellington, or in lieu thereof receive a lodging allowance of £l5O a-year. The return, ordered on tho motion .of Mr Burst qn June 18, is dated September 5, and, we presume, was laid on the table in manuscript 'just before the house rose for the recess, unly quite recently have printed copies been circulated in the form of a Parliamentary paper (H-38), but better late than never, since the information contained is distinctly instructive, ' In 1869 the members of the Grey Go-vernment-expended in political peregrinations about the country £3,631,'0f whioj) they pouched as " travelling allowances and expenrf s>,<s■ $ I9 I*BBo Sir Jprm Hall waa'in pf&e.aijid the total diaries, for personal expenses, of-Mjnister.s and expenses o,f attendants amounted t» £1,6.62 fa, stun of £&7 Ha paid to Sir Oeorge Qrey-a'nd Mi;' Shechan on account of 1879, ; In, 1881, 1882, and' 1883; the teglm : of' the Continuous Ministry, " jbha-.". total 'expenditure under 'these .heads' was respectively 'MM -4s 4', '£lo 16s, and'£2,3o7 WIU. 'ln 1884 the total was £1,513 8a 6&7 but this was divided between the Atkinson Ministry and their successors; "f lje accoimt for this year, by the way, contains some suggestive items, Mr Ballance, for Instance, drew £29 8s

as. *'travellirig allowance.'blit lib" travel. )ing expenses, "and Mr WiH.Vßeynoldil A the same .amount .exactly as allowance, and dbfennon" . As a general rule, the expensoflpr some sort of proportions the.alloiaK The return only covora tHe.'first five,.ihonths ''■"! of the year 1885-January to June, aud f during this brief period'the membeta ' of tho present Government, gpont £2,096 18s lOd, or at, the rate of about £5,000 a year. '• Mr Stout received £123 18s as travelling expenses; Sir Julius Vogel, £124 9s, arid £25 9s 3d ;Mr Buckley, £lO9 4s and £3O jMr Ballance, . £loslßs, and £11510s; Mr Richardson, £IOB and £72 3s 3d: Mr Tole, .£l2' 12s 12s and £l3 ss; last, not least, Mr Lara* ach drew£ 230 4s and £279 0a Od, ot\ little over £IOO a month over and above Mb salary. The expenses of the Ministerial "attendants" during the five months was £513 5s lOd, In one respecf certainly Ministers are to be commended, in that they scorn the idea of retrenchment, and are consiß- , tent at least to this principle. We would not presume to say that members of the Government should stick in Wellington, and not move about the eountry in their official capacity as their presence may be required, but we'entirely protest against ' their pocketing public money for" work for which they are handsomely paid for by salary. In moat instances, aIBO, their travels are purely politicalin object, • and devoted to the strengthenii|g party ' influence. No doubt the colony vfi have to pay for tho glorification ot Lawrence, and tho Ministerial spouting with which that locality has been favored.—Duriedin Evening Star. •'•'.''