THE THIRTY SHILLINGS SUIT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 68, 13 December 1917, Page 5

THE THIRTY SHILLINGS SUIT

CLAIMS BY DISCHARGED SOLDIERS. ' The allowance of 30s. made by the Defence Department to tho. discharged soldier for the purchase of a civilian suit was mentioned again at yesterday's meeting of the executive of the Wellington War Relief Association. The relief committee had asked for a ruling on the subject, since a largo number of applications had been ■ received from soldiers who wanted grants for the purchase of clothes. ■ • "During the last three weeks," reported the committee, "we have received twenty-one applications for clothes, and five more-came in yesterday. It frequently happens that the applicant has allotted, a sum Tarying from £50 to £125 to his own credit at the Post r .Office Savings Bank—the longer his service at the front the larger the allotment, and since such application cannot be regarded as necessitous, which under our constitution is mandatory, a Main Body man in the above circumstances cannot receive an order for clothing, and this, in the opinion of some members of the relief committee, is directly penalising thrift, and debars the claimant from assistance wbiclr it may be considered should ho given as a right-of-service grant. It is unfortunate that the Defence authorities refer many, men to us, without considering the' conditions under which such applications will approach us, and sinco wo deal with >each case on its merits it sometimes happens that a man who has been informed we will grant an order for clothing finds his application declined by tbo association."

In the course ,of some general discussion on this point, the chairman, of the executive (Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp),said it seemed hard to refuse a discharged soldier a grant for clothing merely because ho had been careful and had saved some money during his term of service. But if tho association undertook to make a grant of say £5 in each case, a very large part of its funds would bo absorbed, to the detriment of the soldiers and dependants who were in need. Mr. A. Macintosh said that at present the Defence Departmont gave a returned soldier two uniforms after his arrival in New Zealand, with a full set of underclothing. But it allowed him only 30s. for civilian clothing, and it punished him if he wore either of the uniforms or even his military greatcoat after his discharge. It would be better to substitute a civilian suit for one. of the uniforms. After some further discussion the matter was left in the hands of tlio relief committee, each case to be dealt with on its merits.