New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 39, 2 October 1914, Page 3

New Zealand

EXPEDITIONARY FORCE PRIVATES RECEIVE FIVE SHILLINGS A DAY. [Peb Press Association.] Wellington, October 1. In the House of llep-eMUttt',«w* to-night, the Hon. Jas. Alk-n .-uado a statement regarding the pay to do given to the msn go«ag to the fi'.'i.t. The matter had givm hue h gJO'l ileal of anxiety. The .ate of pay orgmally fixed was base! <>n what was understood to be the pay given to the contingents sent to Soilt.l Aincu, hut on enquiry ho found tb«-re were two rates given to the Soatli African contingents, the privates of the Inter contingents receiving not 4s a day, but ss. He under«o,d that the Australian Governnn.it was paying their men 5s pel clay.. nnJ «ue shilling per day co.'errod |:«y A« against this, however, it must be re, membered that the Austrian Government had not adopted the p? ©vision we had made for wiJows and children. But generally the rate of pay was higher in Australia than m New Zealand. Under the circumstances he had approached the Premier and his colleagues and asked them to agree to raising the moo s pav from 4s per day to ss, and corporals from os 6d to 6s per day, so that the pay of everybody would :,t brought up to the highest rate paid to the South African cont.ngenters. In addition, we had made provision for the wives and children of those going to the front, while most liberal! treatment had been given to public servants who had enlisted; It hird been arranged that the new rate of pay should date from Ist SepUm'ber, and would apply to the troops in Samoa as well as those going to Europe. He was not able to say at present what would be done for the .troops remaining in New Zealand. He thought of recommending a separation allowance to those men who were compelled to live away from their families.

Discussing the position of the men in camp and on ships, the Hon. Allen said that after personal inspecion he considered the food supplied and the sanitary arrangements were good improvements were necessary, and would be made at once.

Sir Joseph Ward approved of the increase in pay. Dealing with the difference in payment between Australia and New Zealand, he pointed out that in all cases the payment of officers in Australia was higher than here. The Governor-General, Ministers, and Supreme Court Judges all received higher payment. If they liad attempted to pay Defence officers here on the same scale as in Australia it would bave meant turning a hose of vicious hot water on the defence scheme.

Hon. W. F. Mas.sey said that before they left the subject lie wished to point out that many school teachers and civil servants were with the Expeditionary Force, and here was a difficulty in the way of their keeping up their superannuation payments. The Government, therefore, intended to keep up all these payments for the men.

The Hon. J. Allen pointed out that the pay to the non-commissioned officers would be as follows:—Brigade sergeant-majors, 9s per day, and Is 6d per day field allowance; quartermasters and color-sergeants, 8s per day, and a .field allowance of Is 6d per day; sergeants 7s, and corporars 6s. He did not complain of the difference in pay between New Zealand and Australia. It must be recognised that the pay of a citizen army must be lower than the Imperial Army. The Minister further dealt with a statement made that the forces being sent away would not be brought back. He warmly denied this. The men would be brought b£ck, cared for if wounded, and, if killed, their widows would be looked after. He was sending some of the Imperial reservists Homo by the mail boat.