HOME SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 112, 29 January 1918, Page 6

HOME SERVICE

Sir,—A number of correspondents have written to tho Press lately complaining of the wages paid to home service men, and they advocate that they slionlii got t'.ie sii".:e sepavat;:'n allowances that married men get w!o go on active service, viz., 3s. a day for wife and-10s. a week for each child; plus their camp wages. The writer of this letter has been in camp about two years on home service, is a married man with a wife and two children to look after; and having worked at more than one branch of work at tho different camps is surely qualified to express an aut-horitativo opinion on the matter under discussion. With your permission, Mr. Editor, I will briefly state my own financial history since I voluntarily signed on. When I came into camp I bad to serve the first month at 4s. a day, wife's allowance Is., and children's 9d. per day —total seven days, £2 ss. 6d. If to this is added my own board and lesidence and clothing, which I estimate to he worth at least £1 4s. 6d., that was equal .to £3 10s. per week. (I don't know of any boardinghousekeeper who would care to keep boarders on such a small charge.) After being in camp a month my pay was increased to ss. a day, which made my earning on above estimate of board and residence worth £3 17s. When I had served about six months I was transferred to work which was paid 6s. a day, equa v l in my opinion to £4 4s. a week. >1 got tlis for about three months when another transfer to different work brought me 7s. a day—£4 lis. a week. Shortly after tho Camp, Commandant thought I was worth a couple of stripes, which made me a corporal at Bs. per day—£4 18s., which is what lam at present getting. If L was to get tho allowance which tho Second Division League advocates, and some home service men demand, I would get 21s. weekly for wife and 20s. for the children, which, plus my £2 16s. and £1 4s. 6d. for keep and clothes, would bring tho sum I would get up to the tidy sum of £6 Is. 6d., not half bad for what, after all, is quite unskilled labour of a very easy nature. So much re the pay; • now a few words about the labour. As I mentioned before the labour is unskilled. Where tradesmen aro employed they get what is known as_ "duty" pay or "extra duty" pay, which is worth Is. and 2s. par day extra respectively. Bootmakers, saddlers, tailors, pay clerks, drivers, etc., all get tho 2s. extra. Unpleasant work such as sani-. tary duties gets the same rate. As a matter of fact very few of the men get os. a day. If a home service man keeps his eyes open, and does his work conscientiously, and shows himself to be a reliable man, ho soon gets practical appreciation of a- monetary nature. Sly own experience is the rule and not the exception. In every camp there arc the usual number of black sheep who have no ambition and look upon any work as a thing to be dodged if possible. These naturally don't make much progress. In the long run they generally -progress back into civilian life, which they can scarcely ornament. As to the life we live, it is very good. In the two years I have been employed by "Bill Massey" I have had two Christmas leaves and one Easter leave, a total of thirty-seven days' leave on full pay all the time, less duty pay. Last Christmas I had sixteen days with full pay paid in advance—£4 16s. at 6s. a day. This does not include numerous' week-end leaves to Wellington, Masterton, etc., which are paid for while away, as it must be clearly understood that a soldier's pay is for the full seven days. For my own part I am perfectly satisfied. All the other home'service men here who put their heart into their work aro also quite content. Looking back to the time when L first went into camp, I cannot bring to mind a single man who did his work cheerfully and well who has not advanced to good paying jobs. In conclusion I desire to warn the Second Division League not to advocate any but perfectly legitimate grievances. The home service men have not got a legitimate grievance. We are really "civilians in uniform," well paid, well fed, and well housed. We run no risk to life or limb like the men who carry the rifle do. We volunteer for tho work, knowing clearly before we sign on what we are agreeing to do and what pay we are to' get. Let the Second Division League be careful not to get its leg pulled by discontented agitators who are really, in many cases, getting more thari they deserve.—l am, etc., ONE WHO KNOWS. January 28, 1 ( J18.