PAY & ALLOWANCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 September 1942, Page 4

PAY & ALLOWANCES

MEMBERS OF ARMED FORCES ‘ INCREASES IN BRITAIN. BASIC RATE RAISED. ; (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.35 a.m.) RUGBY, September 10. Further increases in pay and allowances, amounting to a total of £43,000,000 a year, for the three fighting services were announced by Sir Stafford Cripps in the House of Commons. It was the duty of the Government, said Sir Stafford, to satisfy itself that sailors, soldiers and airmen had sufficient pay to cover their own requirements and enough to provide adequately for their wives and families. The first and main increase was in the basic pay of all other ranks in all the forces, he added. It was proposed to double the war increase already given. That would mean increasing the basic pay by twenty per cent. For all men, the war increase would be 7s, in place of 3s 6d, and for women the pro rata increase would be 2s 4d. That would bring the cash payment to any man in the forces up to 21s a week instead of 17s 6d. In addition to the flat rate there would be an increase in allowances for children. The total weekly increase, including the flat rate, for a married man with one child, wbuld be 4s Gd and for a married man with two children 6s 6d, and so on.

With regard to junior officers, their period of promotion between secondlieutenant and lieutenant in the Army and flying officer and pilot officer in the R.A.F. would be shortened, and they would receive an increase of a shilling a day in the allowance for children. The Government contended that with these rates of pay, the normal soldier and officer would be able to keep his family in reasonable comfort.