THE PAY OF THE WAIKATO CAVALRY.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1402, 28 June 1881, Page 3

THE PAY OF THE WAIKATO CAVALRY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — In your issue of to-day, under the title "The Lobbies," appears a statement which must not be allowed to go uncontradicted. After speaking of •' one of your members," (the hon., learned, and gallant one, I presume) who was going to enquire into the question of the ten per cent, taken off the Cavalry pay, your correspondent from Wellington continues "The mistake appears to be that the requisition from the office in Cambridge was only made for the pay less ten per cent., and that amount was forwarded." Sir, I am in a position positively to state, that the special instructions received from the Defence Office were to submit the estimates for 7s per day, less 10 per cent. It seems to me that this imposition and subsequent retraction, of 10 per cent td'i on ouv pay is only an attempt to delude us. The Government owes us £9 per man : they ofier us £2 2s per man, (less 10 per cent ) and subsequently piofess. as an act of grace, to give us back that 10 per cent. lam glad to &cc that the captain of the Cambiidge Troop, (Captain Runciman) has called a meeting of his troop for Saturday. I trust that at that meeting they will consider the advisability of requesting their officer to place the aggregate of the £2 2s per man to his (the officer's) credit, pending enquiries on the subject by the House of "Representatives. lam in correspondence with Sir George Grey on this matter, and I hope shortly to be able to give my comrades a further assurance that if they will only be true to themselves they will receive the £9 per man. I see some of our men here have unthinkingly signed the pay sheets for the £2 2s, less the 10 per cent. To-night we get the news that the ten per cent, is a "mistake." This attempted witholding of the £6 18s were it not the act of a Government, -would be denominated by a muoh leaa pleasant term. With apologies for the spaae I take, — I am, fee, TuosfAs Gbjesuam. Te Awamtitu. June 23, 1881.