§ I come to two new items of expenditure. One is insurance, where the expenditure for this year—I hope the Bill will be passed—will be about £50,000. I come now to the last exceptional new expenditure, and that is in reference to the payment of Members. The Prime Minister gave a definite promise immediately in front of the election. He gave it from this box just as we were going to the country, so as to make perfectly clear what the effect of a favourable answer would be. He gave immediately after the election a similar pledge that he proposed dealing with this problem, and dealing with it this year. I am not going to argue the question, because that would obviously be out of place in a financial statement. I will only say this is the only Parliament, I think, in the world where Members are not paid, except Italy, where they have free travelling. It is very difficult for Members to attend to their ordinary avocations and public affairs at the same time. Those who are able to attend at all to public affairs find their time affected very seriously by attending to Parliamentary duties. I have examined and will give the scale of payment of Members abroad and in the Colonies. The United States of America heads the list with £1,500 per annum. [HON. MEMBERS "Hear hear."] I note that hon. Gentlemen agree that that is a very cheerful figure, but I am afraid we shall have to part from it. They get not merely £1,500 per annum, but what they call, I believe, limited travelling expenses. This means that those who live in California are paid mileage for going round Cape Horn.
§ In France they get £600 per annum and free travelling on the State railways. But as most of the railway companies are in private hands, the boon is not a very valuable one. I believe also there is a right of pension at the age of fifty-five if a member has served four years. Austria is a little more niggardly. They pay 16s. 8d. per day, and they insist upon attendance. They give travelling expenses, except to Viennese Members, Belgium pays £160 per annum, and free passes. Germany pays £150 per annum, subject to a deduction of 30s. for each day's absence, with free railway passes. In Italy there is no salary, but there are free passes on the railways and on certain steamers. In the Dominion of Canada the pay is £500 per Session, with travelling expenses. In the Dominion of New Zealand the pay is £300 per annum, with 1855 travelling expenses. In the Commonwealth of Australia the pay is £600 per annum, and I think free passes, but I am not quite sure. In the Union of South Africa the pay is £400 per annum, but I cannot find whether there is included free railway travelling.
§ We do not propose to be as generous as the United States of America, or to be as just as Germany. We propose to take a course somewhere between, and to follow the precedent of some of the Colonies. We propose to fix the pay at £400 per annum, but without any travelling expenses, and no pension. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] I am sorry to disappoint hon. Members. There are 670 Members of this House. There are thirty-eight in receipt of salaries either as Ministers, or as officers of the House, or as officers of the Household. They will be excluded. [HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."] That cheer seems to have in it somewhat of malicious satisfaction. I heard no cheer from the Treasury Bench. That would come to something like £250,000 per annum. That is the remaining exceptional item of expenditure. I will just read out the figures, so that those who have their papers may be able to fill them in. I will come to the National Debt balance in a moment. The Development and Road Improvement Funds are £1,280,000; other Consolidated Fund services, £1,707,000; payments to Local Taxation Account, £9,549,000; the total Consolidated Fund Service is £37,036,000; the Army, £27,690,000; the Navy, £44,392,000; Old Age Pensions, £12,415,000; other Civil Services, £34,373,000; Customs and Inland Revenue, £3,995,000; Post Office Services, £21,082,000; total Supply Service, £143,948,000; Payment of Members, £250,000; Insurance, £50,000. The total with the provision for the National Debt, which I am now coming to, will be £181,284,000.