GOOD THING FOR RECRUITING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2979, 17 January 1917, Page 5

GOOD THING FOR RECRUITING

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO = SOLDIERS

GOVERNMENT ISSUES REGULATIONS

-.GENEROUS ASSISTANCE

Regulations approved at a nieetiug of the Executive Council yesterday, and .subsequently gazetted, '. provide that over and above the soldier's present pay and separation allowances ho may receive special fmanoial assistance up. to -/&% per week in discharging the'following'obligations;: (a) Bent; (b) interest and instalments payable in rospect of loans and mortgages; (c) interest' and instalments payable in respect of agreements for the purchase of a dwellinghouse, business premises, furniture, and the like; (d) rates and taxes; (e) jnsurauce premiums; (f) expenses incurred iu respect of the management of ins business during his military service. The extra provision, which is modelled on British lines-, applies equally to men »t present serving in the New Zealand itocpeditionary Forced 'to 'future voluntary recruits/ arid to men'called up under .the ballot. The extra special relief to be granted in each case will no decided by the Military Service ■Boards. - .-and the Minister of Defence.

Assistance for Compulsory Recruits. 1. When any reservist called up for , Service, with the Expeditionary Forco or required to show causo why he should Jiot be eo called up, appeals, 'by himself ori his employer, to a Military Service Board on the ground that by reason, of ins domestic circumstances or for any /other reason his calling up for'service ivill Vβ a cause of undue hardship, the Moardshall, ire determining that appeal, take into consideration the scheme of financial assistance provided by 'these ■regulations, and shall acfc in accordance with these regulations. '■■]■■' 2. If the board is satisfied that apart UTora the said scheme of financial assistance the calling :up of the reservist Would be a. causo of undue hardship, 'but that such hardship is of such a nature that it can be avoided by a grant of financial assistance under these regulations, tho board sbaHmake to tho Minister of Defence a recommendation for tho grant to the reservist of such hnancial assistance as is in accordance with these regulations and is considered by tho board to be reasonable and sufficient. .'■■. ■'..- ' :•■ . ....--.•

3. Pending the consideration of such recommendation by the Minister of Defence, the board shall postpone the determination of the , appeal. . 4.'' The Minister of Defence shall thereupon take the recommendation of the hoard into consideration, and may either approve of the same, with or without modification, or may reject'tho tame, and shall notify the hoard- of his tjetormination accordingly. 5. The board shall thereupon proceed to determine the appeal in the following manner:— ■

- (a) If the Minister of Defence has approved of the, recommendation of the board without modifications, the appeal shall be dismissed. ... .■■-■■■■..■•-...,

(b) If the. Minister of Defence has -rejeoted the recommendation of the board, the appeal may bo allowed. . :

(o) If the Minister . of Defence has approved of the recommendation of the board with modifications, and the. board is satisfied tbat-the financial assistance so fapproved by the Minister is sufficient to avoid undue hardship, the appeal shall be dismissed; but. if the hoard is not so satisfied, the appeal may bo allowed. .'....■

Assistance to Voluntary Recruits. 6. Every. Military Service Board established under the Military Service (Act, 1916, is hereby constituted a Commission under tbe Commissions of Inquiry Act 1908,; for the purposes of jheee regulations,- and shall exercise the (jurisdiction hereby conferred, in addition to the jurisdiction. conferred by the Military Service Act, 1916. 7. Lroxercising the jurisdiction conierred by these regulations a .'Military faervice Board shall act, so far as may be, m accordance with the procedure Presonbed by tbelMilitary Servico Act, IUI6, and the regulations made thereuuder, with respect to appeals by men called up for military service under that Act. . y . .-.- ! .

8. Tie term "voluntary recruit" As hereinafter used means any, man who has voluntarily enlisted in -the.New Expeditionary Force, whether before or after the date of these rcgullations. :

9. If the Minister of Defenco has reason to believe, on application made to mm by or. on behalf of a voluntary recruit, that such voluntary recruit is serving in the New. Zealand Expeditionary Force in- such circumstances that his servico -k a cause of undue hardship to himself or to persons dependent on him, and that such hardship may bo avoided by the grant of financial assistance under these regulations, the Minister may, if ho thinks fit, refer tho matter to a Military Service Board for inquiry and report. 10. On any such loferenco tho hoard shall, hear and determine the" matter eo referred, and shall report to tho Minister of Defence, . whether in the opinion of the board any such avoidable hardship exists, and shall recommend the grant to tho recruit, in accordance with these regulations, of such financial assistance (if any) as the board considers' just and roasonable.

11. The hoard shall cause due notice of the time and place of any such inquiry to be given lo tho Commandant and to such other persons (if any) as 'the board may think entitled to bo heard!

12. The Minister of Defoncn shall thereupon take such report and recommendation into consideration, nnd may, if he thinks fit, approve, either wholly or as to any part thereof, of the recommendation so made. . ' ,

Provisions. '■ ' 1.3. All financial assistance approved liy the Minister of Defence under these regulations shall be afforded from the public revenues available for the. pay of so'diers of the Expeditionary Force. 14. .All moneys so payable Auudor these regulations by way of. fiilancinl assistance for a- member of tun Expeditionary Force, shall be expended on his_ behalf under the. authority of the Minister- of Defence,, and in such manner as that Minister from, time lo tjm° ihinks fit. .

15. On the death of any member of the Expeditionary Force for whom financial assistanco has been so provided, the like assistance may, if tho Minister of Defence thinks lit. be continued, in whole or in part, in favour of the wife, children, or any dependant of the deceased for any period not ox-nc-fiding twenty-six weeks after his death.

16. If at any time after financial assistance has been, so provided for any member of the 'Expeditionary Forc'o such assistanco is considered by tho Minister of Defence to have becomo ■unnecessary, ho may refer thn matter to a Military Service Board, and may, on the- recommendation of_ that board, discontinue, in whole or-in part, the assistance so provided. 17. Tliq assistanco to be affotded to

any member of Mir Expeditionary Force under these regulations shall he for the purpose of enabling him to meet tie following obligations; and shall be granted as from the dato of the Minister's approval, or as from any later dato at which the reoruit first becomes entitled to receive continuous pay aa member of the Expeditionary Force:— (a) Rent. (b; Interest and instalments payable in respect of loans and mortgages. . (c) Interest and instalments payable in respect of agreement for the purchase of a dwellingnouse, business premises, furniture, and , the like. t (d) Bates and taxes; (e) Insurance premiums. (f) Expenses incurred in respect of the management of his business during his military service. 18. Suoh assistance will be computed and granted by way of periodical payments at a rate not exceeding £2 a. week. 19. Financial obligations incurred by a reservist after tho passing of the Military Sorvico Act, 1916, by way of loans, mortgages, or agreements of purchase, or incurred by a reservist in respect of any business commenced by him after that date, shall not, except in circumstances which in the opinion of the Military Service Board are exceptional, be the subject of financial assistance under these regulations; nor, except as aforesaid, shall any appeal bo.allowed by a Military Service Board on tho ground of the existence of any such obligations.

EXPLANATORY NOTE " The new regulations are on tho lines of'the rules laid down by the Imperial Government for the granting of speoial allowances to soldiers in, the united Kingdom. Their effect, in conjunction with. New Zealand rates of, pay and separation allowance, is to place the New Zealand soldier in. a particularly favourable position. Probably he becomes the best-paid soldier engaged in the present war, though only a proportion of the men will be able to claim the allowances indicated in tho regulations. ■

It will be possible now for a soldier with a wife and two children to draw £& 12s. 6d. per week, if he can show a Military Sprvioe Board that his financial commitments entitlo him to the full allowance of £2 per week. The total sum would include his military pay and the separation allowances provided for his wife and children. The maximum amount payable to a British soT3ier similarly situated would be £3 4s. 6d. per week. , ■ .

Tho extent of .the liability involved in the granting of . these allowances cannot be gauged. If tha war is prolonged, and particularly if the compulsory clauses of the Military Service Act are applied to members of the Second Division of the Expeditionary Force Reserve, tho allowances may represent a .very large sum indeed. But it is expected that under present conditions the full sum of £2 per week wiU not often be allowed, since a smaller sum will meet the difficulties on which very many of the appeals under the "undue hardship" heading have been based.