Yes. They are not getting the benefit of that service. I understand that former members of the Army who rejoined the Army got the benefit of their former service and members of the Army who joined the prison service got the benefit of Army service towards prison service for pension purposes. I think there is an anomaly there in the treatment of those men, which I want to emphasise and bring to the Minister's notice, in the hope that he may be able to relieve it. Take a man of 27 years who attested in 1942 and a Taca who came in in 1939 and you will find that the man who came in 1942 is getting something like 9/6 per week more than the Taca who had actually longer service. That is creating a certain amount of discontent and ill-feeling in the force.
There is another problem which arises by reason of the fact that their service is not regarded as continuous. Men who are eligible in the ordinary way for promotion, eligible in every way as regards education and professional attainments, may be promoted if they have five years' service, but Taca men are not regarded as eligible for promotion. Recently I understand that members of the Taca who applied for promotion were rejected, whereas men with similar service in the uniform force were allowed to compete in the examinations. These are anomalies affecting this small body of men which ought to be removed. I mention these matters as I did not give them fully yesterday, and I think they are deserving of the Minister's consideration. I would ask him to look into these points and, if at all possible, try to meet the grievances of these men and settle, once and for all, the grievances they are under and the discontent that is there. It causes friction, as I said yesterday, in individual stations, and I suggest there is a case there that wants looking into.