Melbourne, May 27.
Australian politicians are facing a difficult problem. To put the matter voidly, they want more money. That is a problem shared by many other members of the community, but for the politician it is a specially difficult one. Every Parliament, whether Federal or State, has the legislative power to increase the salaries of its members, but if this power should be abused the electors may deprive the present members of their seats and salary altogether.
Legislation affecting the payment of members is consequently approached with some trepidation, and usually only after cautious testing of public opinion in the Press, Considering the number of Parliaments and members in this country. politicians are liberally paid, though. of course, in certain circumstances. members have sacrificed large incomes to enter political life. Until a temporary reduction became politic during the depression, members of the Federal Parliament were paid £1,000 a year, with higher salaries for Ministers. State politicians receive lower salaries, but are by no means on the bread line. In this year, however, of grace and relative prosperity members are setting higher value on the services they render, and the Government of New South Wales has taken the bull by the horns and introduced a bill te increase the salaries of members of the Legislative Assembly to £750 a year.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.