SECOND DIVISION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1735, 29 September 1917, Page 3

SECOND DIVISION.

INCREASED SEPARATION AND SPECIAL ALLOWANCES.

GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSALS

They must bo unreasonable persons indeed who find room for scxlous complaint in the increased separation and special allowances announced by the Minister of Defence in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, says The Post. The effect of the Government’s proposals is to increase the separation allowance for a soldier’s wife by 2s per day, making 3s, the allowance for each child by 3d, making Is per day, and the special financial assistance provisions by £1 a week, making up to £3 per Aveek, that may be granted in excess of pay and separation allowances in respect of’ rent, payment of insurance premiums, interest on mortgages, etc. The rate of pay for the soldier himself remains the same 5s per day. Exactly what the new proposals mean is best illustrated in tabular form. This we give as follows, the first column of figures .showing*the present minimum and maximum amounts payable Aveekly, the second column the Government’s proposals, and the third column the rates advocated by the Second Division League:—

With special alloAvances the maximum possible rales under the three separate headings are;—

Considering (hat the man himself is not ‘only fed, but housed and clothed hy (ho Stale, it will he seen that- the Government's ’proposals are fair and reasonable. Labour had asked for payment at the rale of 10s a day. The Government answers with a minimum of s(is per week for a soldier Avitli wife only, the full maintenance of the man himself, and (he provision of up to £3 per Aveek in special financial assistance Avhore such is found necessary. For men Avitli children the total is increased by granting 7s a Aveek for each child, while-* other dependents arc also provided for.

mum Rate. o o - o o Proposed Mini- ■/. i'i— lCO CO’ C". i — i Second Division r-H ’ • Minimum Rate. Govt. Proposed ■t\ s o 2 70 ( ISb ; — mum Rate. o o co CC * C7 Present Mini- /* g M Ol I— !•— O g O rd 2 7Z. 3E T! o 'i. c; % c c r—i OI CO -f d d > 'C o % cT =— sT cT cT ~r £

w ? hj £ d > c a Q jy 7. <. o Q SC 5 X ■/. y s. d. s. d. s. d. Private soldier 75 0 95 0 75 0 with Wife only 8‘2 0 11 (i 0 117 0 Wife, 1 child 87 3 123 0 127 0 Wife. 2 child. 92 (i 130 0 138 0 Wife, 3 child. 97 9 137 0 ld8 (i Wife, 4 child. 103 0 144 0 159 () Each add. child 5 3 7 0 10 (i