PAY AND ALLOWANCES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 192, 3 May 1918, Page 4

PAY AND ALLOWANCES

YTHAT THE WIPE GETS. "The great majority of the members of the Second Division League are working men," snid a. speaker at one of the meetings of the league in the South Island this week., "They are entirely dependent upon their earnings, which will cease when they enter camp. It is for that reason that they ask tho Government to improve the allowances, in order that the wives and children may be properly provided for." This statement betrays a lack of acquaintance with the. actual rates of pay and allowance, and with the earnings nf workers, skilled and unskilled, in New Zealand. Married men with children will not suffer any financial loss on entering camp unless their, earnings in civilian life exceeded JH a week. This is the view taken by Ministers and military authorities, and it is supported by the lisnres. A weekly wage of M ss. a week is equivalent to rather more than 15s. a day in civilian employment. There are not many workers getting 15s. a day five and a half days a week all the year round. •

i The, Glass B soldier (wife and one I child) is paid ss. a day, plus 3s. a day j for the wife and Is. Gd. a day for the child, a total of £Z Gs. Gd. a week. There is no loss for broken time. The soldier receives in addition his own food, board, clothinfr and medical and dental attendance. Tlio value of these services may fairly be assessed at £1 a week. The man with two children receives in cash £'.) 17s. a wet, and tlie man with three I receives £1 7s. 6d. a. week, with the sanio additions. The payments may be suinj niarised thus:— In cash. Total. £s. d. £s. d. Class B fono child) ... 3 G f. 4 6 6 Class C (two children) 317 0 417 0 Class D (three children) 4 7 6 5 7 G I Tlio position may be stated from the point of view of the wife, who has to maintain rho -homo during the absence of her husband on service. Tf the husI band takes Is. Gd. n day for his persona] I expenditure, he will have 10s. fid. a week, nrolmbly quite as much ns ho could afford to take for pocket money in civilian life. Tlio wife will receive the balnnco and she will not bo required to find food or clothing for her husband during hie period of service. Her weekly income will be:— ,-C s. d. Class 1? (one child) 2 l<! (1 Clnss C (two children) fi (i Class D (three children) ... 3 17. 0 Vcrv many of the married men already in 'the New Zealand Expeditionary Force have allotted 4s. a day of their nny. retaining 7e. a week for their personal expenditure. They are still better off than most nf tlieiT brothers in arme in Enrone. The weekly income of the > wife is then- Class 13. .£2 Gd.; Class C £3 10s.: Cinss I). £1 fls. Bd.