Resentment Of Incentive Plan

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31162, 12 September 1966, Page 8

Resentment Of Incentive Plan

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 11. A new incentive scheme for the territorial force has caused resentment among regular soldiers in Wellington.

But the Defence Department denies that New Zealand’s part-time soldiers are being given preferential treatment. The trouble stems from two new measures announced last week increasing the territorials’ tax-free gratuity from £2O a year to £3O and providing each volunteer a free rail pass allowing him and his dependents to travel anywhere in New Zealand on holiday. Some regular soldiers feel that the territorials are now better off financially than they are. “We would be better off to leave the regular army, work on the wharf or dig ditches, and join the territorials,” one man said. He said only one rail warrant for regular private

soldiers was given a year to single men to go home from a military camp. A Defence Department spokesman said today the two schemes were introduced to attract volunteers.

“The railway warrants are rewards for service given by members in their own time,” he said.

“They are not given to enable territorials and their dependents to travel on duty, but are to be used for holidays. “The railway warrants are not available to regular officers and servicemen, who serve under different terms from territorial servicemen,” said the spokesman. They received rewards for skill and increments for length of service.