MILITARY NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1247, 2 October 1911, Page 4

MILITARY NOTES.

(Edited By KcimoN.l SOLDIERS' PAY IN AUSTRALIA. Tho London "Gazottra" recently haA film followin;* onrauncemcnt:— Tiro King lias been graciously pleased lo approve of tho appointment of FioldMaJshal the Kiprht Honourable Frederick S'kiigb, Earl Koberts, K.C., K.G., ]{.]>., ti.C.Ji., 0.M., (J.C.5.1,, C1.C.1.E., ColonelCommandant, Koyal Artilierv, and Colonel, Irish Guards, lo 1» Colonel of tho National Reserve Dpted sth August, 1911. By on Army Order issued on Saturday, the tit'!® "National Hcwirve" was directed 10 be used in place of "Vetoran Heservo." Th-is branch of tho military forces was brought into being last year, and consists, entirely of men who have served in tho Kcg-iilar Army, or the Territorial Foroo. As tho majority of its members are in 1 •tlio prime of life, the term "veteran" was objected to as misleading. "Instructions have Iwen issued in order to prevent a repetition of any complaints against excessive drill," was an official statement made, recently in the Federal Ilou.se of Representatives. Mr. Ilcalcm had inquired about the ease of those lads • who wtire said'to have fainted undor tho strain of continuous three hours' drilling; on the parado ground. Tho reply was; to . an extent, reassuring (statos tho ' Age ). It [>oin ted out that' tho brigade major had power to vary tho duration of senior ■ cculiet parados, provided the 72 hours per annum woro made up. In tho cool wither it was not thought there would bo anv li.-uvkship; but foT the summer time , inductions had b~n given against tho possibility of over burdening the loss robust of the cadets. The Australian Federal Executive Conn--011 has approved of the payment of Xl-Wi for 181 horses for military purposes. Iho horses have bcon purchased in Queensland, and the price is about XJ a head. Members of both sections of the.A ustraliau permanent defence forces are expressing groat dissatisfaction intir rates of pav. They are agitating, through committees "appointed with t'^^Xnmrh of thb Minister for Defence, and through members of Parliament, lor a pension scheme and higher genera rates ol pal. When the statntuorv rules hxmg tho rates for the navy were promulgated, it was thought that only the veterans of ho sei'vieo would refuse lo come under tho deferred pay system, but it has beott found that large numbers ol the men , have chosen to remain under the old rules. This is a clear indication of tho unpopularity of tho deferred system m the navy. If further evidence is needed it is to 1)0 found in a meeting of.p.crmancnt naval men held last week, at which a committee was appointed to represent; to the Minister the case for the abolition 'of'deferred pay ftiid tho establishment of a pension system. The strongest aiguincut again&t the deferred puv which was adopted on Admiral lienucisan's advice, is that if a man were incapacitated in war or while at duty, and had served only a few years, he would receive next to nothing. Iho amount payable under tho system depends so completely on length of service that wounded men. might have to leavo the ecrvicc with scarcely a penny. The other objection : is that it allows the payment of a lump silm in place of an annual allowance, and . tho men claim that this always cuds in. i catastrophe to the superannuated, ihey ■ lose their money and lind tho world a. i very hard ,in their old.. ago. -ior • 1 tho military forces there is no scheme Of, . .superannuation.. Tho men servo, their i timo and go ont moneyless into the world. I This is'one." reason, why. so'"many seelc . 5 transference''from' the forces to. • the police. Another is that their rates s of pay compare badly with those earned - by privato citizens. The men claim that ' they should get 80 per cent, moro than ) tho British army men, because of the in- - creased cost of living in Australia, iheir t present.rates are greater .by-from 5 to. 23. per cent., except in tho oase of guniiors, . , -who-geMSt n 2s. , of tho'lmporinl man.' Recently tho, flliii- , isler increased the rate of nay lor pnyaU\s . by 33 t0.40 ;ier cent., but lie left that, lor . • non-commissioned and warrant ofhccrs.; I strictly alone. These get 13s. a day, an ! compared with lis. 2d.,for sorgeaut-mnjoif,,, 1 engineers in tho British ■ army, 12s. i.d. i for S.M. artificers, and lis. 2d. for major.. > gunnel's (Ist class),. It is further .urged., that tho Defchco Act provides that, men • shall reach these positions only after sludy i and long service, shall cease the practice i of any other profession and shall not ; ! enter into any commercial venture during » their service. The pension schenio advoi cated by both forces is founded on actar arial calculations. It proposes that a i sum should bo deducted from tho pay of each man, who after service would do en--1 titled to-a pension for the.rest of hist days. Senator Pcarco litis promised that f information' now being collected by tho , 1 acting-secretary of his department in.con- . ] ucction with deferred pay systems will . do thoroughly considered, and it is exI pccted that somo increases of pay will bo ] provided for on tho new estimates. i r- £ At the closing session of the Adolaido I Synod of the. Church of England held re- „ centlv, Canon llilne" moved "that this < synod desires to express the hope, now ~ that the military scrvice. has been mado ( compulsory, that regard will bo paid to , t religious scruples of church people and „ others, and that military services will not l)o required during holy week and Easter, n>- 111" 1 eveinntion will be granted to thoso • who rtesiro it. It was most regrettable, , iu- satu, iliat tho holy week of tho year and Easter should be dcsccratcd by tho ? holding of military camps. 110 believed that at tho request of the Jewish linbbi , in England 'an order wai sent down, lo II Aldershot that all Jewish soldiers should 0 bo exempted from,military service during r tho solemn day of atonement aud feast ? of new year, and ho suggested that it 1 would be appropriate to hold camps tlirco • or four weeks Iwforo Easter, so that llioro i" would lio no interference with tho week of 11 devotion. Archdeacon Samuel pointed out 9 tho difficulties which confronted tho an--11 thorities who had to arrange the camp s so as to cause a minimum of inconveuiencc. T'hero was no doubt, from a com--0 mon point of view, Easter was suitablo in cverv respect l'or camps, but there were ;t tromcnilous and real objections to trnin--0 ing being conducted at that particular s period of the year from a religious point of view, lie "moved to add: "And tho eynod respectfully asks tho Lord Bishop <1 to represent this view to the Minister > 9 for Defence, and, if possible, to obtain tho .co-operation of the bishop of each diocese within the Commonwealth and others favourably interested in such represents* d tion." This was adopted.