30 MARCH 1945, Page 16

Service Pay. By Captain Russell Grenfell;R.N. (Pyre anclSpottiswoode. 10s. 6d.)

CAPTAIN GRENFELL has written an illuminating book on the pay of the fighting services. He ought to have omitted his historical intro- duction, for it will be found quite unsatisfactory by the expert and of little value to the general reader ; no one can hope to treat the complex history of the soldier's pay without even mentioning "stoppages." But from 1919 onwards the author's case is w,-'11

documented. No doubt is left about the unfair treatment which the armed forces have consistently ieceived from the Treasury and the Government, and, as the general public is ultimately responsible for the policy of a cheap navy and army, it is to be hoped that this book will be widely read. Captain Grenfell is often bitter, but he cannot be accused of unfairness ; it is hard to avoid bitterness when faced with sucn arguments as those brought forward by the Treasury to justify the charge for "accommodation," first presented by the Anderson Committee in 1923 and still to be found in the latest White Paper on the subject. It is unlikely that this book will lead to a redress of' inequality of sacrifice as far as the war-time forces are concerned, but it still remains timely.