Seduction of Members.

If he were to say that he favoured the reduction of the number of members, he might say what was popular, and something he believed in himself, but he would also be saying what he believed to be impracticable. After last session's failure in the attempt to reduce the number of members, it would be wasting time to try and effect a redaction. There is no use in eternally re-opening questions of this kind. As to the honoraria, he believed—though he expressed the opinion with some diffidence—that 100 guineas would be quite sufficient to cover the expenses that members were to be put to, and he would be prepared to support such a proposal and to give it effect in every practical way. (Applause.) Then there was another class of legislators—the Upper House—supposed to represent property, though some of them had not been ashamed to say that their honoraria was their only visible means of support (laughter), and some of them would die on the floor of the House rather than suffer a reduction. He believed that an inquest on some of these gentlemen would be the best thing that could happen the colony. (Applause) As they represented property nominally they should be prepared to do without honoraria at all. (Applause.) It might be taken for granted that Sir R Stout's £100,000 did not include reductions in a department capable of considerable reduction, that of