§ 89 and 90. Mr. IRVINGasked the Secretary to The Treasury (1) whether he is aware that the war gratuity as well as the Service gratuity is being paid to all soldiers on discharge with the exception of the Post Office men in receipt of full civil pay; whether it has been the practice in previous campaigns to pay signallers their full civil pay in addition to their military pay, because of the essential character of their craft; and whether, seeing that the Army was dependent upon the Post Office service to supply it with an efficient signal service at the outbreak of war, that the grant of full civil and military pay was made after due consideration, and that the Government recognised that it was right to pay the men at this rate, he will refrain from repeated attempts to whittle 2198 away the terms of service which were mutually agreed upon; and (2), if he will state what were the reasons which lead the Government to expressly exclude Post Office servants in receipt of full civil pay from the operation of the Royal Warrant governing the war gratuity; whether he is aware that many of these men served in South Africa, at the expiration of which campaign a similar gratuity was paid; whether he is aware that these men have rendered unique service to the State and that because of their special skill they have been debarred from promotion; whether he is aware of their treatment by the Government in the matter of the increased separation allowances and the service gratuity; whether he is aware that it was only after many months of agitation that the Government decided that the men had all along been entitled to the payments which had been withheld; whether he is aware that these volunteers are being compulsorily retained with the forces despite their early enlistment and long service; and whether, having regard to the necessity to avoid unrest, he will urge the Government to pay the war gratuity to all soldiers on discharge?
120. Lieutenant-Commander N. CRAIGasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Post Office servants of the Government were in the early days of the War invited to join the Signal Section of the Royal Engineers on the footing of receiving full Army pay and emoluments in addition to civil pay; whether the War gratuity can be considered otherwise than an emolument in the contemplation of an enlisting soldier; if he will say upon what principle these Civil servants are denied the War gratuity and offered in lieu and as a concession, an arbitrary sum of £1 per year of service with the Colours, and whether he will take steps to remove a sense of grievance which causes dissatisfaction and saves little money?
§ 122. Mr. THOMAS GRIFFITHSasked the Secretary of State for War whether at the conclusion of the South African War any discrimination was made between soldiers, on the basis of civil occupation, with regard to the payment of blood money, and whether, having regard to the reasonable expectation that the 1914 volunteers had of receiving a similar payment, he will take steps to secure an amendment of the terms under which the War gratuity is payable?
§ 124. Mr. J. DAVISONasked the Secretary of State for War if he will state why, in the payment of the War gratuity, a distinction is drawn between men in receipt of full civil pay in and out of the Post Office service; whether he is aware that many of the Signallers served during the South African War and were paid a gratuity similar in amount to the War gratuity on their discharge; and whether, having regard to the grievances of these men on the questions of the gratuities and also of the increased separation allowances, he will endeavour to allay the discontent by treating all serving soldiers on an equal footing?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the WAR OFFICE (Mr. Forster)I have been asked to reply to these questions. The claims of these men on every point except the War gratuity have, I understand, been fully met. The service gratuity which they are drawing is in no sense an arbitrary amount, but is that provided for all soldiers under the pay warrant. Soldiers are entitled to this gratuity under the terms of their enlistment. Such, however, is not the case with the War gratuity, and the conditions under which service should or should not reckon for the War gratuity were the subject of most careful consideration by the Government. The Post Office men in question, though they stand alone in drawing full civil pay from the Government, in addition to Army pay, do not stand alone in their exclusion from the War gratuity.