CAMP EVENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 October 1939, Page 7

CAMP EVENT

SOLDIERS’ FIRST PAY DAY AT TRENTHAM. ALLOTMENTS AND SAVING. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The biggest event in the lives of soldiers at Trentham, next to their attesting for military service, will be the first pay day—Friday of this week. It has been a big job. arranging the pay of 1600 officers and men. and those who are working under the camp paymaster, Captain D. Eckhoff. have agreed that they will put in any number of hours necessary daily to see that the men get their money on time and without a hitch on Friday. Today the men will have been a fortnight in camp, so that their first pay—a fortnight’s—will be more than welcome. The job is not the simple one ol handing out to each private a fortnight’s pay at seven shilling a day. There are allotments and allowances to be fixed up before the exact amount payable to each'is determinable, and this makes a varied range, accoiding to rank, dependents and the nature of allotments. . Soldiers will be savers, not by choice but by rule. The minimum allotment for an unmarried private is two shillings daily from his rate of seven shillings a day. This makes him thrifty to the extent of 14s a week, with a correspondingly higher figure foi those receiving more pay than the private This compulsory deduction can be allotted to a blood relative —in most cases probably dependents—or in the absence of a relative, to the soldiei s post office account. As yet there is nothing to prevent a soldier operating on his post office account whenever he likes, but it is hoped that the men will allow their money to accumulate so that when they have some special leave it will be a useful addition to whatever they have in hand. A soldier who chooses to let his money remain in his savings account for the duration of his service can have a tidy sum to his credit when he is discharged The camp paymaster will get the required money to pay the troops from the Reserve Bank. Then he will allot it to the various units who will be paid by ah officer appointed in the unit. They can then pay in platoons, companies, or whatever suits, accoiding to numerical strength.