§ 24. Mr. Bellengerasked the Secretary of State for War what are the rates of pay for a non-tradesman sergeant with 18 months' service and a private soldier on the highest rate of non-tradesman pay with five years' service.
§ Sir J. GriggThe answer to the hon. Member's Question taken literally is that they are the same, viz. 7s. 0d. a day. But it is a very unusual comparison for, leaving out of account the special pay to those serving in the Far East, it seeks to compare what is in effect the highest paid non-tradesman private and the lowest paid sergeant. There must be a few cases of sergeants with only 18 months' service in all. Most of them would have enough service to qualify for at least one of the war service increments. For example a sergeant with 5 years' reckonable war service would receive war service increments of 2s. 6d. a day making his total rate 9s. 6d.; and if he had served as a sergeant for 3 years he would receive an additional normal increment of 6d., bringing his rate up to 10s. 0d. a day.
§ Mr. BellengerWould my right hon. Friend agree that between certain sergeants and a large number of the highest paid private soldiers, there is not a wide discrepancy in the rates of pay; and does he not think, therefore, that such a trained N.C.O. as a sergeant should have a considerably higher rate of pay than a private?
§ Sir J. GriggAs I say, this case is a comparatively rare one and I do not think it is possible under any human system produced in war-time to remove all anomalies. I am not very satisfied on this one.