CIVIL SERVANTS' BOXUS.
TO THE EDITOB Or "THE THESS. Sir,—l see by your paper that the Minister of Finance has been interviewed concorning tho rumour wluch pained ground purporting that t&e Honus would, not bo paid to Civil dot* vnnw. Tho answer was, you say, that Parliament would consider tho matter. If all the measures in this Dominion received as much consideration as tho paltry bonus, wo should indeed bo a well-governod community. la your leader you oppose the measure, ana sav tho money would go about halt-way in" paying an extra shilling a day to the wives of tho Socoud Division. .Now that is not tho point. To begin with, tho wives aro not going to faro 60 badly. They will get 8a a day, amountin y to £1 Is a woek. The husband will gvt £1 15s, of which ho can at least leave £1. Now, a wife has at least £2 a w.ok to herself. Her husband will be fed and clothed. He would need to recoivo almost £4 si week in noacc time to bo as ■well off* financially. Tho cost of living is the plea for want, ing six shillings a day for the wile, and ton shillings a wook for each child. Tho Civil Soivant only exists! Jhe Sccond Division aro not going into camp until March, and unless they get more comfortable footwear I am inclined to think they will even thon baulk at the hurdle. Tho Civil Servants,, of which tho greater percentage receive from £30 to. £150, aro trying to hye with a certain amount Oi gentility in thoso 6elf-same hard times which tnc gallants of Second Division Wamo foi their abnormal demands. The Civil Servant never has a chance of maffing "a rise," no mattor what the times offer. Ho is assailed with ©very "patriotic" or "idiotic" subscription list. In the city, for oxample, the Offico and Telephone Exchange aro ''charged" as soon as a new list or any kind is floated. Ho pays increased "board." His clothes aro dearer; but he must bo respectably dressed before tho public, or his senior officer will not forget to bring the fact before him. In all other employments special war rates of wages aro paid. The Cml Servant is tabooed. Tho fact that tho money can bo taken off tho Chvil Servants by a scratch of the pen, and requires neither diplomacy nor statesmanship. scorns to commend itself to incapable politicians and their advisers. As for vour opposing it, well, I am not surprised at that, as it is your usual attitude towards measures of reason and fair-play. Why should our bonus be stopped this year to my •« Division extras for next year. Sufficient for tho day are the evils thereof. ~\TRUOGLING CIVIL SERVANT.
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Press, Volume LIII, Issue 16037, 20 October 1917, Page 4
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462CIVIL SERVANTS' BOXUS. Press, Volume LIII, Issue 16037, 20 October 1917, Page 4
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