NZ Air Force Rates of Pay

[Dave Homewood]

I wonder how these compare with today's pay scale. From the EVENING POST, 29 NOVEMBER 1929

N.Z. AIR FORCE

THE RATES OF PAY

The rates of pay per annum for officers and men of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force have been gazetted as follows:—

[Dave Homewood]

According to the Reserve Bank's Inflation Calculator the highest wage there, that of the Wing Commander at £765 would now be the equivalent of $74,780.70.

[davidd]

Noticeable that the misspelling of the word "Aircraftsman" was in vogue nine decades ago, and in an official pronouncement too. Also noteworthy is the Army version of Warrant Officer, split into the two classes, hardly surprising considering that not only was our NZPAF part of the Army, but the RAF also recognised their warrants in this way (changed to a single type about 1939).
David D

[phil]

They paid married people more than singlies!

Can't do that these days.

[Dave Homewood]

I guess the wives never worked themselves back then.

[isc]

Dave's right, when a woman married it was expected that she would stop working, and become a housewife, and the husband would be the sole earner. 

While I was at Woodbourne (BES), 1964, I was payed 30 Shillings a week because I was ove 17 yrs old, under 17 and you got 25 Shillings. But there was a catch to that, they kept half of it, and you got that at the end of the year.   81511 Boy Clark.I. S. isc

[camtech]

Yes, I recall the compulsory savings scheme. If you wanted or needed any extra cash for some reason (buy shoes, model aircraft, or other useful item), we had to write a letter to the OC ACS explaining what, why and how much. Not always granted. But at least at the end of the year, you had a bit of cash sitting in your bank account. Enough to get me a decent car!

[sailorsid]

Like you Les I remember the savings scheme. We were paid 2 Pounds 5 Shillings the first term, 2 Pounds 15 Shillings the second term and 3 Pounds 5 Shillings for the third term. I bought my first motorbike with the savings. This was 1962

[oj]

And I am forever indebted to Sid for his allowing me to learn to ride said machine at Wigram in 1963.
Did I tell you he narrowly escaped a garotting on that Bantam?
It was the day before the Lady Wigram car races and the crowd-control ropes had been put up.
One rope was across the little sealed road that ran to the old bomb-dump.
Sid went for a blat (if you can blat on a Bantam) down the track at dusk.

He encountered the unseen rope and received a very painful friction burn and bruise on his neck.
A modern nylon rope would have been far more serious; wire likely fatal.

Never mind; probably did not have to wear a tie on parade for a few weeks.

[oj]

It was called Deferred Pay.
I had to use some of mine to buy one of those scungy maroon track-suits, which allowed one to go for our cocoa and wine-biscuits supper at the YMCA without having to be in uniform.

Also used some to pay the difference between the rail travel warrant to Hamilton and the air fare to fly home and back on leave, thus saving two days of overnight travel on the steam express.

[shorty]

Looking through some notes I found my pay conversion for my first pay in decimal currency (July 1967), at the time I was an Airframe Mech u/t at No 1 TTS
Basic daily rate was $3.87, to that was added 70 cents special rate (because I was over 21) and Quarters and rations at $1.00 to give a gross daily rate of $5.57,
By the time tax, superannuation and Q & Rs were deducted I got a fortnightly pay of $46.52.
In those days they held a pay parade where accounts would set up tables in the hangar and you would queue up and collect your pay in cash after saluting, and stating your name, rank and number!