PAY OF THE NAVY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 4

PAY OF THE NAVY

CALL FOR REVISION

NEED FOB STAFF REDUCTIONS.

The S«!«ct Committee of tho British House of Common*, which is investigating the Navy Estimates, in iU ;fi»t riiport, expretseg, the opinion J'tbaV; tiu-f.s should be taken to review the pay „f officers and men in the Boyal Nayy '.n 1924, and that the administrative departments stand, in need of reorganise! ion and reduction." ■'

It is pointed oat, gays the 'Daily Telegraph," that although /tlie'.estibhsliment of the Navy: ia to-day 01/.'JO !o* er P?3rm iK? 3"^ the pa? haa "^sd.by£s,2oo,ooo The combined increaw in ■the pay of officers and man amounts to iau per cent, over pre-war •< rates, but the pay of the able seamen Ukei, separately represents an increase of 160 per cent., although the increase of the cost of living is only-about'7o-per; tent: Jn addition the seaman receives a marriage allowance.. All grades are pensionable after twenty,two years' service, a pett'v officer receiving about 30s per week. In the case of the officers the pay has been increased by 60 to 70 per cent.; and they also receive a pension. ', _With the exception of reserving' '"'.to themselves the power to review the pa v of officers on. Ist July next year, no precautions were taken' by • the Admiralty to revise the pay of the men, except with regard.to the marriage allowances should wages generally.fall. The report continues: "It may, be' well to point' out that it was the opinion of the Admiralty representative that the Navy like every other section of the community, would loyally accept a reduction in their rates of pay provided that a sinii- . lar reduction was made in all biher Government and municipal services.": Attention- is drawn to the niiich greater cost of the victualling: department,'and the medical and educational services. In the victualling yard-a. boatswain whose pay in. 1914-was £214 nbw gets £417, although there, are fewrer men to clothe and victual.-Despite the reduction in personnel, there sire now four surgeon rear-admirals at a cost of £8431, whereas in 1914 there were three costing £4499. Wardmasters have increased mr,*vix in 1914 (£1019) to twelve v (£4851). "It would appear/ observes the committee, .'-'that a portion of the increase,in the cost*of the Navy is due to employing in many positions officers of.a higher rank than the position warrantis, who are. paid more because of their, rank." V

Among other instances ■ similar to those given above is quoted the case of the Boyal Naval College, Greenwich, "vhere there are 227 students with'a staff of 356 to look after them." rln 1913-14 there were five, coxswains in tho superintendent's department in the Home dockyards, at a cost of £506. The same men to-day draw £1214. : The report states: "These men are part'■of the retinue which is attached, to senior naval officers. A paper was put in . dealing with the retinue of senior naval: officers at yards abroad, from which it would appear that^a captain'in charge of a dockyard gets- four cooks and. stewards, whereas if a commander is in charge of the same 'doefcyard" he^ bn'ly _\ gets two cooks and stewardsi--the explanation. being that the'number-of "servants^is regulated, by the rank of the officer." ? '