RATES OF PAY FOR BRITISH ARMY

Wanganui Chronicle, 1 September 1950, Page 5

RATES OF PAY FOR BRITISH ARMY

(N.ZP.A.—Reuter—copyright.) LONDON, Aug. 30. —British servicemen of private or equivalent rank will be jaid £2 9s weekly, instead of the present fl Bs, the Prime Minister (Mr. Attlee) announced in a nation-wide broadcast at the same time as he announced the extension of compulsory service from 18 months to two years.

A ranker in the services will be able to earn as much as £2 16s or even £4 0s 6d a week after gaining profici-. ency awards. In his broadcast, Mr. Attlee appealed to British youth to come forward for service "to your country and to the cause of peace. Our immediate need is for a greater number of fullytrained men in the armed forces. To ensure peace, we need stronger armed forces as a deterrent against aggression, and the only way we can increase our strength quickly is to raise the length of national service. Mr. Attlee admitted that there must "inevitably be an adverse effect” on Britain’s standard of life by devoting a larger proportion of the country’s resources to defence. "In safeguarding democracy and the British way of life, we have to hold a balance between the needs of defence and the demands of economic stability,” he said. "I am certain we can take care of both if we all do our best.”