PAY AS SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16497, 24 March 1917, Page 8

PAY AS SOLDIERS.

■ ■ ♦ .- CIVIL SERVANTS' REQUEST. i | EQUIVALENT TO - CIVIL. SALARIES. A deputation of civil servants, together with representatives of the Teachers' Institute and of tho Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, waited upon Sir James Allen at Wellington to urge that j tho military pay aid allowances of civil servants called up for active service should bn made up to their civil pay.'. MV (J Allport, president of the Public Service Association, said that in England civil pay had been allowed to the civil servants called up. In Australia the Premiers of ho various States had met and decided that they could not allow civil pay but very shortly afterwards, first New S*outh Wales then Victoria, and then South Australia had recognised the justice of tho claim of civil servants to receive civil pay. ..Several other members of the deputation spoke in support of the object desired. ; In reply, Sir James Allen said it was a very largo question," and, obviously, one ho. could not decide, either as Minister for Defence, or as Acting-Primo Minister. It had already been before Cabinet for consideration, and ho would have pleasure in re-submitting it. One of the difficulties of the whole problem was that if tho Tiublio servant was to have his pay mado up to his civilian pay, the auestion would arise how were the rest of the community to be treated? He thought they would a woe with him that it would not be , fair for the country to provide additional par for civil servant soldiers without facing the question of those who had been employed by private employers. They would not ask him to place civil sen-ants on a different footing to the rest of the community. There was no general rule o#the part of private employers. Some were paying half salary, some were making up the salary, and some were doing nothing. >• He had mado an appeal to the employers to do something 'for' those employees who had gone, to the front, and there had been a very considerable response. Members of tho deputation -had,, generously said that those 1 who remained j behind were prepared ■to make, sacrifices,] of time, to give more to the Stale-, and to so endeavour, to make up i for the absence I of thoso who had gone.v He agreed that] 'that" was a sacrifice, . and he also thought , that tho.men.who remained behind ought to ': do : it. '■;;. v Everybody in : the community oueht "to Eive a little more of his time, energy, and money as his contribution towards ? the ; country.' The Government had increased the salaries of civil'servants bv £1400.000..-- - ; Sir James Allen went on to point taut that, even if no change was made in the system iof payment, every man called tup had ■ the right to appeal, and the board had; the right to allow any. such claim. ; f