§ GENERAL BURNABYasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether his attention has been called to a letter, on the subject of "soldiers' families," in the "Times" of the 9th instant; whe- 913 ther it is true, as therein stated, that from the
allowance of 9d. a day to each non-commissioned officer's wife, 7d. to each private's wife, and 3d. for each child,in quarters, the sum of6d. a day would be recovered from each non-commissioned officer's pay, 4d. from each private's, and 1½d. in respect of each child,"—"so that it would appear that the exact allowance this wealthy Country is making to these poor women amounts, besides a little coal, to exactly 3d. a day for themselves, and 1½d. a day for each of their children;and, whether he can promise to increase these allowances?
§ MR. CHILDERSSir, in reply to my hon. and gallant Friend, I must appeal to him whether it is reasonable that I should be asked to reply to a letter in a newspaper written by a Member of Parliament, whose Question on the same subject I had fully answered, and with great detail, a few days before. What is called the "separation allowance for soldiers' wives and children" has been in force for many years, and I find has been the subject of full inquiry by my right hon. and gallant Friend and Predecessor, who declined to increase it. I have, however, out of consideration for the women and children who came home in the Jumna, their husbands having been hurriedly separated from them, advanced them a further daily allowance, instead of keeping them waiting for the remittance from their husbands, and I have undertaken to look into the whole question. It would be unreasonable to ask me to decide it in a hurry, after the positive refusal of my Predecessor and the late Government to make any change.