An order, issued on Monday night by Sir Edward Henry,
provides for the raising of the pay of all ranks of the Metropolitan Police. The weekly increase on the old scale is as follows : Constables and acting sergeants. ls. 6d. ; sergeants, 2s. to 2s. 6d. ; inspectors, 3s. to 6s. ; chief inspectors of the C.I.D., 7s. ; superintendents, £30 per annum. The cost of the increase, which has been sanctioned by the Home Secretary on the recommendation of the Commissioner, will amount to over £80,000 a year, the increase in the pay of constables alone amounting to £60,723; but in view of the exceptional cervices rendered by the force the Commissioner's con- Hence in the readiness of the ratepayers of the Metropolis to acquiesce in a slight increase of the police rate is not likely to be misplaced. It is significant, however, that in his order he lays stress on the marked increase of work brought about by the legislation of recent years and the added complexity and difficulty of this work. More work, more pay, is a sound principle. But it cannot blind us to the fact that a good deal of this extra work is due to unnecessary and mischievous legislation.
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