During the Boer War, many firms in Britain, on their employees being called out for service in South Africa, continued to pay the wages of the husband to the wife. A Liverpool firm, which lost a man in that way, volunteered to pay half his wages to the wife during the man's absence.
At the end of the month the woman appeared before the cashier, and the moiety was handed over to her. "What," she said, "four pounds?" "Yes," replied the cashier, "that is exactly half; sorry if you are not satisfied." "It isn't that I'm not satisfied," replied the man's wife. "Why, for years he has told me he only got six pounds altogether. If the Boers don't kill him, I shall talk to him when he comes back!"
波爾戰爭期間，英國不少公司假如有雇員被徵召赴南非服役，會繼續支付薪水給他們妻子。利物浦某公司有一雇員被徵召，就自願在他出征期間，付錢給他妻子，金額等於他薪水的一半。
那個月底，那妻子到公司出納員處，領得丈夫的一半薪水之後，說道：「怎麼，四鎊？」那出納員回答：「不錯，剛好是你丈夫薪水的二分之一。也許你不滿意，我明白你的感受。」那妻子說：「不是，我不是不滿意。但過去多年，他跟我說，薪水共計是六鎊。假如他不死在波爾人手上，回來時，我得好好跟他談談！」