El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-10-26
MORE PAY FOR
TROOPS URGED
Widows of Soldiers Killed
Get Five Shillings
a Week.

London, Eng Oct 26.-Five shill-
ings a week to the soldiers wife who
has lost her husband in fighting his
| country's battles,
With this exclamation one Of the
leading London papers attacks editori-
ally the governments pension system
which it says is due to the old tradi-
ton summed up in WellInEton's asser-
ton that his troops in The Spanish
campaign were only the scum Of the
earth" The war office. according to
/ the writer, fails to realize that times
are different now and the vast ma
Jority of volunteers are men who in
civil life earned good wages in fac
tory, field, office and shop.
Indignation has also been expressed
in parliament, so that il is not unlikely
some reform in pensions NAV follow.
No Standard Scale Of Pay
In the British army tie pay Of off
GERS and men is dependent on the
regiment There is no standard scale
OF pay as in America Commissioned
officers. as a rule. receive a sum i'm
possible to live on-abOut S35 a month.
They must have independent means,
and in the crack regiments. such as
the Scots Grey or the Grenadier
Guards. they must be wealthy with
polo ponies. Wallets and expensive uni
forms But in certain of the colonial
troops doing police duty in lands Dor
dered by SaYages. they get as good
pay as the American officers and do
not nave 10 keep up expensive estab-
lishments.
The ordinary infantrymen in the
new volunteer army Of a million men.
pledged TO foreign service. are started
Off at Sl-65 2 week, clear Of expenses
Married men are allowed in addition
separation pay for their families at
the rate Of $50 a week for the wife
and two pence a day-or IS cents a
81 TH- 80
OF London they are given a further
sum of so cents a week. owing to the
higher cost of living
Give 50 Cents to Family.
All married soldiers serving abroad
are obliged to allOt at least SO cents a
week TO their families Uut of their
own pay Worked out on this scale,
the lowest sum a soldiers wife with
out children can receive, is % shillings
n week in the case Of a warrant Off
Ger. = lot reslmental quartermaster
sergeant 10 Slllllngs SIX pence for cor
poIal or private If the wife has four
children to support she will receive
on the same scale, sum ranging from
81 to p shillinEs.
Widows Of those who die on active
service receive from five to ten shill-
ings week. according to the rank and
pay Of the husband. But the mass of
them VIII not get over five shillings
An extra allowance varying from 30 TO
50 cents week for each child is given,
however.
Only Charity Homes.
While there are no government
homes for old soldiers in Great Brit
ain, as in the United States there are
certain homes maintained by private
charity. OF these. the largest and
most famous is in Chelsea. London.
The garden party given at the Chelsea
home for its benefit is one of the bis
social events Of LondOn's spring sea-
son.
Much suffering was caused by the
government deferring the payment of /
separation allowance TO soldiers wives .
during the first two months of the 1
war Not until October j was this 4
money put into the hands OF the dcsti- /
held up pay aIlotmeats