SOLDIERS' PAY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3105, 8 June 1917, Page 4

SOLDIERS' PAY

IS IT ADEQUATE? Soldiers' pay and allowances wers!. among the matters discussed at jester- . day's meeting of the Advisory Board oS the, Now Zealand Patriotic Societies. Ther Hon. J. T. Paul (Otago) 6aid that tW whole scheme of pay and allowances de-i manded attention. The rates had nevec • been generous, and the general increase in tlie cost of living hiul made them'; obviously inadequate. Experience hadl,' shown, moreover, that the men with de-. pendants .could not allocate 4s. a day; from their . pay ■to dependants. Theyi needed more than Is. a day themselves in England and Prance, and yet the scale of allowances to dependants was; based on the assumption that the soldier/ could allot Is. a day. Mr. V. Larner (Auckland) said „tba Auckland Patriotic. Society assist ' if- the 6oldier allotted 3s. Cd. a day. He snggested that the children's allow.anc®. 6honld be increased from 9d. to Is. pec The chairman {Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp)'' said it should - be remembered that thai Financial Assistance Board had power ta grant assistance up to M a week to each.', soldier. If that board was going to pa.v; the rent, could not the patriotic societies; extend their assistance to the dependants. Mr Larner said that the existing rate of pay and allowance represented an actual advance on civilian wages. An analysis of the figures' showed clearly, that the average working mans wite, receiving an allocation of 3s. 6d. a dayi from lier husband and the separation allowances for herself and her clnldren was actually better oft financially than, if her husband had not enlisted. The patriotic societies were already supply menting the allowances. A infe wntlr three children would Teceive week, made up as follows :-Husbands allotment at 3s. 6d. per da>, 245. .6d separation allowances 225. 9d. / be better off than if her at home earning i! 3 or £8 ss. per After some further discussion the mat ter was allowed to 6tand over.