PAY AND ALLOWANCES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 223, 8 June 1918, Page 8

PAY AND ALLOWANCES

SOLDIERS AND DEPENDANTS . WHAT THE UNITED STATES IS DOING In the American "fioview of lteviews" for April there appears an interesting, survey of tho legislation that has been enacted in the United States concerning soldiers pay, allowances, and pensions. Ihe article, which is written by Professor Samuel M'Giine Lindsay, of Columbia University (n-lio is at present acting in tlm capacity of Special Advisei' to Mr. Thomas B. Love, Assistant Secretary to the Treasury, in matters pertaining to war risk insurance), is of special interest locally at the moment in view of the agitation by the Second Division Lrague lor increased allowances. ' "The Government expects every enlisted man to do his duty not only to his country but also to his family and those dependent upon him for support," Professor Lindsay proceeds. On October 6, 1917, Congress enacted "the most generous and far-sighted piece of social iegis-. lation that any country has yet put forth." The three principal features of this legislation are: "(1) Provision for both compulsory and voluntary allotments of pay, and family allowances to be granted and paid by the Government to the families and dependants of all enlisted men (including women) in the military and naval forces; (2) payment by the Government of compensation and indemnities for death or disability resulting, from personal injury suffered or disease contracted in the line of duty, and not due to wilful misconduct, by any commisioned officer or any enlisted man or member of the Nurse Corps (female); (3) a provision for cheap insurance which commissioned officers, enlisted men, or members of the Nurso Corps (female) may take voluntarily as added protection."

last-mentioned provision (voluntary insurance) lias, the writer states, attracted the chief attention so far. 'This, is natural since the response from the Army nnd Navy has far exceeded the most sanguine expectation. Many of tho largest units of the military forces aro more than 90 per cent, insured. The maximum insurance protection which is allowed in addition to allowances and compensation benefits for death or injury is ,£2OOO per man." These benefits, we are informed, have been planned "to prevent and alleviate suffering, not as a matter of charity but of right, not years afterward through the political favouritism of pensions, bnt at once by a new scientific application of principles of social justice." Some Tall : Figures. On March 15 of this year over 1,500,000 members of (he United States forces (including nurses) were insured for over twelve billion dollars, working out at an average risk of approximately il6oo per head. ' , To Assist the Thrifty, Coming to, the matter of pay and allowances, Congress raised the pay of enlisted men in the Army and Navy, making the minimum pay for nearly all seiving in the forces <£6 ss. per .month. This pay is supplemented by a system of allowances, a sound doctrine, however, "only when the enlisted man first does his part and contributes from his own resources all he can reasonably spare." The granting of an allowance, therefore, is dependent on the soldier making an allotment from his pay to his dependants. Allotments are not provided for commissioned officers or for members of the Nurses' Corps (female). Classification of Dependants, Dependants are clussified into two classes—"A" and "B." Class A dependants are wife and children under 18 years of age or children of any age if permanently helpless or insane, or divorced wife to whom alimony has be»n decreed by a Court and who has not remarried. For a man having dependants clussed A an allotment of his soldier's pay is compulsory. Class- B dependants (for whom the allotment is voluntary) include parents, brothers, sisters, and grandchildren. Even if Class B dependants are m want, an enlisted man is not compelled to make an allotment for their support; but ha must do so before the Government will pay any allowanco to them. "The allotment must in practically every case where an allowance is asked for be at least JS 2s. 6d. per month, and must equal tho amount of the allowance which the Clovernment is asked to give, provided 6uch amount is not more than half the monthly pay." In all . cases the allowance is granted only when applied for, after the necessary amount of allotment of pay has been'made. Allowances. The rules governing the making) of allowances aro set out by Professor Lindsay: "Where a man has Class A dependants but no Class B dependants he must allot at least .£3 2s. lid. per month and as much more up to half his pay to equal the allowance requested according to the following schedule: For a wife but no child, .£3 2s. 6d.; a wife and one child, £5 is. 2d.; a wife and two children, 15s. 5d., with *£1 Os. lOd. per month additional for each additional child up to a total of .£lO Bs. 4d„ which is the maximum Government allowance to the dependants (Classes A aad B) of any one man under all circumstances; no wife, but one child, <£1 os. lOd.; two children, J22 12s. Id.; three children, M 3s. 4d.; four children, J26 -is., and ,£1 Os. lOd. for each additional .child. These allowances to Class A dependants are made without reference to dependency or need except that they may be waived by a wife who gives evidence of sufficient means for her own support, but may not be waived by a child, and a man may be exempted in certain exceptional circumstances from making a compulsory allotment." Comparison with New Zealand Scale. It will he seen, therefore, that the maximum amount that an American private 6oldier can receive in the way of pay and allowances is as follows:— £ s. a. Soldier's pay (per month) 6 5 0 Maximum Government allowance 10 8 4 Total monthly pay and allowance 16 13 t Or an annual income of .£2OO 0 0 With this 6cale of pay and allowances which the American soldier receives the New Zealand rate compares very favourably, as will be see,i from the following examples of yearly income received by a New Zealand private with £ s. d. Wife and 3 children 227 10 0 Wife and i children 25116 0 The foregoing comparison does not take into account any extra assistance which the Financial Assistance Board may grant to tho New Zealand soldier. It has to be remembered, too, that while in Ne.w Zealand the State has made provision for a straight-out pension scheme for disabled soldier? and dependants the American soldier in case of death or disablement has, out of ,his soldier's pay, made substantial provision for his pendants by moans of the system ol State insurance.