The Soldier's Pay
Members of the House of Commons, whose correspondence tells them a good deal about the grievances of their constituents, are always peculiarly sensitive, and rightly so, to complaints about the inadequacy of Service pay and allowances for wives and children. The question was pressed with much warmth in the debate on the Army estimates last week, and, of course, involves the question of pay in the other Services. No one, indeed, can fail to be struck by the disparity between the pay of Service-men and that received by civilians in war industries, and soldiers have felt this inequality all the more keenly when they have seen Americans lightly spending sums far beyond their own modest means. It would, however, cost £4,600,000,000 a year to raise the pay of British soldiers to the American level, and it is idle to think of entering into that sort of competition. Moreover, it must be remembered that all the personal needs of Service-men are met for them except in regard to pocket- money ; and so far as the high wages in industry are concerned, there is some force in the argument that Service-men, who will one day return to civil life, are not disinterested in the maintenance of civilian rates of pay. A far stronger claim for generosity is that on behalf of the wives and children or other dependants of men in the Forces. These are living civilian lives among civilians, and feeling the full pressure of rising prices. Mr. Eden has promised discussions on these points. There are real grievances, and they must receive attention.
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