A V.A.D. GRIEVANCE SIR, —The War Office have recently granted an
increased lodging- allowance to V.A.D. nursing members, but not to the other V.A.D. members, such as dispensers, clerks, &c. This raises an anomaly, as these people have to have a cheaper mess, and thus are penalised for not being nurses, although their work is just as important in the hospital. It is only fair to point out that the idea was to make the V.A.D. nurses have a mess equal to that of the sisters ; at least, I think this was the original idea, but as it leads to peculiar situa- tions, such as the dispensers and clerks having to have a mess on their own, as they cannot afford the more opulent mess of their fellow-members the nurses.
The hospital I am in does not house its staff—we all live in billets—. so the question of more lodging-allowances for the nurses should not arise.
I contend that all V.A.D. members, irrespective of what they are, should be conceded the same lodging-allowance, and I do not con- sider that the War Office is treating us fairly. I have already made a complaint to the V.A.D. Council, who have written to this effect: " They are aware of the conditions regarding lodging-allowances, and have strongly protested to the War Office, who only saw fit to grant the concessions to the nurses."
I feel that this privilege of a larger lodging-allowance (Is. 3d. V.A.D. dispensers, 25. 6d. nurses) will ultimately lead to recrimina- tions amongst the VAD. personnel and will become a sort of " class- distinction."—I am, Sir, yours, &c., SERGEANT-DISPENSER. Military Hospital.
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