Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-01
EXTRA SECRETARY
PUZZLES PREMIER
Macdonald Is Embarrassed
as One Too Many Holds
Seat in House.
BY Radio to The Star.

By Radio to The Star.
LONDON, November 30.-Headlines
have been seen in several London papers
IN the last few days. Affairs of Seven
Undersecretaries." It sounds like q new
Sherlock Holmes thriller, but it actually
refers to q little constitutional comedy
OF errors in which the government has
become involved
It appears that ever since the gov
eminent took office in June. the last
one of the seven UNDERGRADUATES of
state has been sitting and voting in
the House OF Commons contrary to law,
and has. therefore, made himself liable
to heavy fines.
According to the law. not more than
six ministers of this particular descrip-
ton may be members of the House of
Commons. One, at least, belongs to
the upper house, but Premier Mac
donald unfortunately overlooked this
point when forming the ministry and it
is only now that the mistake is recog-
nized-not by any learned constitu-
tional lawyer-but by an unnamed
country clergyman who wrote the gov
eminent informing it of its irregularity.
Political Circles Are Amused.
Naturally political circles are highly
amused and the opposition is enjoying
asking numerous questions as to how
the mistake arose and what the gov
eminent intends to do about it. The
prime minister now has announced
that he will introduce an indemnity
bill next week to relieve the offending
undersecretary-just which one of the
unfortunate seven is debatable point
Of the financial penalties to which he is
liable. These are by no means light,
since the fine provided by law amounts
to $4,000 for each day the Parliament
Is sitting. and as the sessions occupied
at least 40 days, the total due is in the
neighborhood of 100000. about 20
times the annual salary of an under
secretary.
Even the most bitter opponent of the
Labor government would not wish to
mulct fellow member of Parliament
to this extent. and the indemnity bill
will undoubtedly secure easy passage,
though the ministerial benches will have
to submit to much chat. This, how
ever, will not entirely dispose Of the
problem which the prime minister must
solve. 1t Is obvious that the illegal po-
sition must be amended, and one of
the undersecretaryships transferred to
another member Of the House of Lords.
Naturally none of the seven wishes to
be dispoSSessed, and in any case the
Labor membership of the upper house
is 50 small that 1t is difficult to discern
another office holder there.
May Raise One to Peerage.
There remains the solution of raising
one Of the seven to the peerage, but
this is not so easy as it sounds. Brewers
and diamond magnates may have in the
recent past been pleased to contribute
immense sums to party funds in order
to attain the title and privilege OF, sit
ting on the red plush benches of the
House of Lords, but few if any Labor
men banker after that honor. For
them a title is an expensive encum-
brance, the acceptance of which means
in effect political suicide.
Under the circumstances it is not
surprising that the premier, when
asked the cause of the delay. mentioned
that there had been "a good deal of
rather delicate and troublesome nego-
tiations in the matter" Altogether the
affair of the seven underSecretaries
must appear to the premier as puzzling
as some Of Sherlock Holmes cases, and
he may be forgiven if he does not ex-
actly see the humor of it. One curious
aspect is that the original legislation