NEW ARMY RANKS

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 September 1946, Page 3

NEW ARMY RANKS

THREE GRADES OF PRIVATES PROPOSED REVISED SCALE OF PAY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 22. Provision for three grades of privates in the New Zealand Army for the purpose of aligning pay m ml three services is understood to be under consideration by the Government as part of its revision ol: service pay schedules. The _ new pay c cbedulS3 ci re likely to be issued fciii - ly 'soon and it is suggested that tne basic minimum rate should be about 15/- a dav in all three services. If the proposed scheme is adopted the Army will follow the system, recently instituted in the British Anny by which ranks of one-star, two-star, and three-star. privates were created under a White Paper issued earlier this year. There will also be one-star and two-star lance corporals, and one-star and two-star corporals. Service pay will be taxable but the pay oik- members of the Regular Forces "has always been subject to taxation. Lower ranks are expected to benefit most from the increased rates, with a diminishing ratio of financial improvements as the ranks ascend. That is the view taken by senior officers, who claim that taxation will be the great leveller .in their case, and ' that substantially they may be little better off. The classifications in the Air Force, it is understood, will remain the same as at present, except that provision will be made- for up-grad-ing as certain trades become more skilled with progressive aviation development. The new scales are not strictly uniform but will be comparable for the three services according to time, taken to attain the respective ranks and to become proficient tradesmen.