DAYS OF TRIAL 325 



sums by his resistance to pensions and compensations. The un- 

 happy position of the late Speaker contending with old age, broken 

 health and poverty touched him, and he brought in a Bill to provide 

 the required income, by deducting 5 per annum from the salaries 

 of all members, and 10 from Ministers. The debate on this pro- 

 posal was lengthened, and evoked some strong expressions of 

 opinion. Even the Cabinet was equally divided on the question. 

 The conservative party, including all Berry's former opponents, were 

 ready enough to contribute their 5, but on the express understand- 

 ing that they were moved thereto by compassion, not by admiration 

 of past services, which they contended were exclusively of a party 

 character. Mr. G. D. Carter suggested that if the alleged number 

 of Sir Graham Berry's admirers was reliable, the great party which 

 he was wont to lead could by a subscription of Is. a year each provide 

 him with every luxury. It remained for the labour party to em- 

 phasise the objection to putting their hands in their pockets for a 

 man who had certainly sacrificed many interests to theirs. Mr. 

 Hancock, the accredited member for the Trades Hall interest, said : 

 " If this gentleman has performed great services to the State, the 

 State should recognise those services in a proper way ". It must 

 have grated harshly on Sir Graham's feelings to find the " if " coming 

 from such a quarter. The Assembly rejected Sir George Turner's 

 Bill by forty-four votes to forty-one. Mr. Trenwith, another labour 

 member, moved that the money be provided from the public revenue, 

 and this resulted in a considerable changing of sides, but was also 

 rejected, by forty-five votes to forty-one. Later on, by the tactful 

 intervention of the Premier, a compromise was effected, and finally 

 the House authorised the Government to spend 3,100 in purchas- 

 ing an annuity of 500 a year for the veteran whom the people had 

 dismissed. It was rather a sordid ending to the career of a man 

 who had so often successfully appealed to what he was wont to call 

 " the great heart of the people," and it was not made less so by 

 the Premier's declaration that provision had been made " to prevent 

 the money from being taken away from him and to prevent him 

 from parting with it ". 



In March, 1895, Lord Hopetoun took his departure, greatly to 

 the regret of the whole community. It was an unhappy year, before 



