Evening star., 1911-06-03


town to gaze upon the armorial bearings
borne by their illustrious first President
and his ancestors for generations back,
all the more interesting for their beauti-
ful setting in the glorious choir of Selby.
The budget Of 1911 will be famous in
years to come for the payment OF men,
bers. Whether this is 10 date from the
beginning OF the year or from the 1st or
April remains to be seen. In the mean
time. there is not a member Of parliament
who is not interested and excited by the
new proposal.
The proposal. Of course. is of very great
importance to the labor members and
other NJ. P.'s. who. having no private
means OF their own. are dependent on
their constituents or party funds for the
payment of their way. The Osborne judE-
party. since 1t forbade the payment. out
OF trade union funds. of parliamentary
candidates and members. A compulsory
levy for parliamentary funds was, there
fore, rendered impossible, and the labor
members have to rely on the good will OF
their constituents. 1t is true that they
get E2OO as an allowance from their So
cieties. and those societies against which
an Injunction has been obtained under
the Osborne Judgment still pay their
members out Of accumulated funds.
Labor Members Will Rejoice.
Now the labor members will rejoice in
f4O0 a year, and this will give them far
more freedom Of action In parliament,
and will also mean a far wider choice Of
candidates. Whether 1t will ultimately
loosen the bonds Of discipline which bind
the various sections Of the party together
remains to be seen. It Is certain that
the government has not lost sight OF this
point In proposing the payment Of MEM
bers. The best point about the new de-
parture is that 1t prevents parliament
from being a close corporation for rich
men only. who can afford the necessary
time and money. In fact. parliament
may now become representative OF the
nation.
An income of f4OO a year may at first
sight appear to be small fortune to q
man who before he entered parliament
had to put Up with much less. Perhaps
f1OO or at most f150. year Is the aver
age income which a labor member might
hope to earn in his own trade or as an
official Of his union. But in reality E4OO
is not very large sum. In the first
place. the poor member will probably be
expected to pay at least part Of his
election expenses. Like other members.
he will probably be expected to pay SUBJ
scriptions to local clubs and charities.
and. beyond all this. he has to live In
man Of his class. He must take his
family to London or run down to them
week ends. and he must also keep ms
committee rooms and perhaps an agent
ceive some assistance for these local ex-
penses, but he will be expected to pay
more than he does at present.
He must, Of course. dress as well as an
NJ. P. he no longer likes to send his chill
dren to the elementary schools. He tries
at present to do all this. but when. he can
absolutely rely on larger income ne
In fact. labor members will be tempted
to live as middle-class men on their new
incomes, and in many cases they will
find 1t very difficult to make ends meet
as, indeed, they do at present.
To the ordinary conservative member
and the majority of mfnisterialists the
s4O0 a year is not of much account.
They are not going to be dictated TO Tor
that sum, or to be forced to attend when
inconvenient. for they have their own
professions and businesses. as a rule, to
look after.
The average M. p. has private means.
and 1t would surprise the public to know
how very many rich men there are In the
house, and how much they spend to keep
their seats. Most members, therefore,
could very well do without the salary.
But f4OO a year is f4O0 a year, and
do not think that any member VIII re.
fuse 1t even though many declare that
England will go to the dogs on account
of this new democratic vulgarity. Many
members spend as much as E1.OoO and
more a year simply in nursing their con-
StlIuenC1cS, ana IIc great HdJOAASy AsuSe
keep up a house or nat in town when
parliament is sitting. as well as their
own home In their constituencies. Tnis.
Of course. means a large expenditure,
and any member will tell you that It costs
them quite $4,000 a year over and above
what they otherwise spend In the house.
Will Make Ends Meet.
A member to whom spoke on the
subject after Mr.. Lloyd Georges speech,
and who is reputed to be a rich man,
tells me that the E4OO year will just
enable him to make ends meet without
spending his capital. as he has been do
ing ever since he entered parliament. He
confessed that it cost him anything be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000 a year to be IN
parliament. and the e4O0 a year would
income. 1t would. he argued. just about
pay his election expenses. provided that
a general election did not come more
than once in four or five years
In the National Liberal Club and other
places where budding politicians gather
and cherish parliamentary ambitions the
announcement OF payment OF members
has aroused the keenest excitement. 1t
is quite true that 1t will encourage am
bilious men who had not thought Of par
Lament as a career to try their luck In
the constituencies. The fact that cleo
ton expenses are not to be paid by the
STATE Is a SdO OlOW W IAduy VI lucoc as
pirants. and 1t will keep many men out
of the field who would otherwise stand
for parliament. But men with two or
three hundred year will be tempted to
try their fortunes. and we shall undoubt-
edly see the advent Of the political ad-
venturer in the parliamentary area. The
government. 1t is expected. will do some
thing to meet this by requiring man to
put down SO much for his election expenses
before being adopted as a candidate for
parliament. or IL this proves unpopular,
a candidate may be required to have a
certain number of names to back him.
In any case, the payment of members
with the increase of candidates which
1t is sure to provoke. will probably ne
cessitate improved machinery for cleo
tion in a second ballot
The nationalists have more to fear from
the new order Of politicians than any 9TH
are mere bagatelle compared to ex-
penses In this country. and an Irish men,
ber is not expected to contribute so much
to his constituency. Indeed, the Irish
members are the poorest section Of the
house OF commons. They receive less
from party funds than the labor members
and their travelling bill Is far higher
while the difference between the cost of
living In this country and in Ireland up
sets all their initial calculations. It is
said. indeed. that II 1t were not for the
shilling dinner at the house many Irish
members would never dine at all, but
would be content with bread and cheese
The nationalists live in lodgings for the
most part. in remote parts Of Pimlico and
Bloomsbury and the north of London.
and they do not dash up to the house
in taxis. The motor bus is their favorife
vehicle.
The pavment ~ M Pc ur;,I NJ. ,.s.