QUESTION OF PAYMENT

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4819, 4 August 1939, Page 5

QUESTION OF PAYMENT

TERRITORIALS AND MILITARY RESERVE.

EVENT OF MOBILISATION. The question of payment upon mobilisation is one of interest and importance to many members of both the Territorials and the Military Reserve. Many capable men willing to offer their services are deterred by the possibility that their military pay and allowances would be substantially below their salaries as civilians.

They point out that they have a duty to their families and responsibilities as civilians which cannot altogether be set aside in favour of their duty as prospective soldiers, and will no doubt welcome the Ministerial assurance that full justice will be done. While no doubt fully prepared to sacrifice if necessary a week's salary while attending annual camp, and to accept instead the rates of pay provided by the Government for the Territorial Forces, many men are thinking twice about the financial difference that would be possible upon mobilisation. Instead of accepting a lower remuneration for a week, there would be a possibility of the period being very much longer, and in many instances it is possible it would be a case of resigning civilian employment altogether.

Although the rates of pay on mobilisation have not yet been decided, the Minister announced last year a new scale of pay for the Territorial Force amounting to an all-round increase of 3s a day.

The rates then announced were as follows:—Private, 7s a day; corporal. 7s 6d; sergeant, 8s; sergeant-major, and staff-sergeant, 8s 6d; lieutenant, and second-lieutenant, lis; captain 13s; major, 15s; • lieutenant-colonel, 18s; colonel, £1 4s. At the same time the Minister announced that as a special inducement to men to carry out the prescribed training, camps and courses, and to compensate them in some measure for any loss of wages, a camp allowance of 5s a day would be paid to Territorials carrying out their training.