SOLDIERS' PAY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2939, 27 November 1916, Page 8

SOLDIERS' PAY

TRADES COUNCIL MANIFESTO "EQUITABLE TERMS OF SACRIFICE" i ' Acting uuder instructions from a general meeting of delegates the Trades and Labour Council of Wellington has prepared the following manifesto which is to bo sent to Trades Councils in other centres: — "Now that tho Government is actually on the point of forcing men into the Army this council considers that the time has arrived to once more demand more equitable terms of sacrifice. a view to securing some approach to equality, those wealthy people who, by reason of age or physical disability, are unfit .for active service should be subjected to such taxation (or conscription of wealth) as is required to pay every soldier at least 10s. per day. The community should also guarantee him and his dependants more generous (not to say humane) treatment in the matter of pay and allowances than lias been metod out so far. "Mr. Lamond, formerly manager of the Australian Worker, writing in the 'Sydney Morning Herald" on October 26, 1916, makes, the statement that tho Australian soldier has his pay or pension made up to the following scale by the Amelioration Committee:— Per week. £ s. d. Single men 2 10 0 Married men without children 3 3 0 Married men with children, ss. per week for each of the first two children, and 2s. 6d. per week for each child over two in number. This goes on until a man is quite restored to health and power of earning. "Contrast this with the pensions anci allowances granted by the New Zealand Pensions Board. According to the last report issued the total number of claims received during the three weeks ending November 18 were 548, the total additional pensions and allowances granted dnrinsi the same period amounted to £15,733 in annual value, or an average weekly paytaent of about ]3s. per man. The return also states that up to date soldier claims total 3567, .that pensions have been granted to 843 soldiers, and allowances to 2331, and that the average annual .value of the 843 pensions is £53. Adding 145 dependants' allowances to the 2331 granted to soldiers we get a total of 2475 at an annual rate of £126,753, or an average allowance of £50 per year! It must be quite plain to any one who gives the matter any consideration that these grants compare very unfavourably with the Australian scale as supplemented .by the • Amelioration Committee. "Now, with regard; to the soldiers' pay. The''following extract from a letter written by Mr. D. C. M'Grath, M P., who has enlisted and is serving with the Australian forces, puts the matter in a nutshell. 'First, I would increase the pay to a. 10s. per day minimum. I see no reason why Australia should expect the man who enlists to make all the sacrifice. The man who stays at homo may be assisting as much in winning the war as the man who-, has gone, but his family ought not, to bo better off .than the family of the man. who goes to the war. \ Try the minimum of 10s. before involving Australia in what may turn ouf; to be as bad as civil war.' \Ve contend that, if anyone makes money out' of this war, the men with the best, claim are the men who are fighting, and not those men who by reason of agfe or physical unfitness ' remain at home to exploit the needs of'file country for their own enrichment.

"When the Government Statistician was balloting, the names of men who are to be forced to accept ss. per day, l and entrust their'future to the tender mercies of the Pensions Board, the woolgrowers of tile country were indignantly refusing the Imperial Government's offer of 45 per cent, above pre-war rates for their commodity. If the soldiets were paid 45 per cent, above pre-war rates, 10s. per day would bo- insufficient, considering that the Army day is not an eiaht-hour*day, and overtime rates are \inknown. But the New Zealand Government's views are evidently diametrically opposed to Mr. M'Grath's, and could properly be expressed as follows:—'We see no reason why the men who enlist should not make all the sacrifice.'

"Mr. Harold Beaucliamp, who has recently returned from America, told ■ a;.-reporter a'few days ago that 'Americans are so intent on making money that they are most anxious that the' existing state of things should remain,' and 'Americans take great pains to tell you that they are heart, and soul i with the Allies, and perhaps they are. but they aro also; 1 think, heart and soul m the desire to make all they can out of the present situation.' We consider, that if 'New Zealand capitalists' were substituted for 'Americans' the statement would bo equally truq. "To-sum . up, we contend 'that the soldiers ought to bo paid at least, 10s. per day, that the country caii ■> easily afford to pay if the Government will impose the necessary taxation, and we desire to point out that while etfen the Press has nothing to say in defence of the profiteers, it is the latter who 'get the goods.' H,as the Government the courage, the capacity, and honesty to deal with tho situation?"