UNIFORMS FOR MEN

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 307, 25 September 1939, Page 7

UNIFORMS FOR MEN

Issue To Volunteers On Reaching Camp HARDSHIPS ALLEGED Dominion Special Service AUCKLAND. September 24. Members of New Zealand’s special military force will not receive an issue of uniform and equipment till after they enter camp. Those who have been advised when to report for entraining to Ngaruawahia, Trentham and Burnham have been instructed to take a list of clothing already in their possession, including boots or shoes, underclothing and socks, to use till the ' Ordnance Corps provides them with service kit. It has already been the experience of many members of the National Military Reserve ami other reserve units who have been called up for special duties that a complete outfit of army clothing is not available. For instance, a number of men serving at various points near the city hate suffered from foot, blisters because their own socks, lacking the thickness of the service issue, have not been able to protect their feet when wearing heavy boots. This lack of army socks, underclothes and even uniforms—specially smart ones —may not be overcome for some time. To cope with the sudden demand upon uniforms new territorial issues are being withdrawn from holders not. in the special force, and contracts for the supply of underclothes and other items of kit are being let as rapidly as possible. A considerable state of unpreparedness in this branch of army supply has been revealed by the calling up of the National Military Reserve, other reserve units and the special force. Ordnance Corps At Camps, The reason for not issuing members of the special force with uniform and equipment when they report at tlfe drill hall before entraining for camp is that the Ordnance Corps, in charge of the issue, is now established at each of the camps. Such items of kit as the following will, therefore, be issued to the men after they reach camp:— Kitbag, blankets, boots, great coat, underclothes, shirts, jackets, socks, trousers, vest, haversack, holdall, badges, hat, hatband, identity discs, helmet, rifle, bayonet and scabbard or such other equipment , appropriate to the special duties of the various units. Difficulty has also been experienced in another branch of organization that of• pay. This has been particularly noticeable in the case of the marriage allotment. Many of the reserve men called up have not been in a position to maintain ordinary living commitments from banking accounts till such time as their first military pay was received. As a result some wives have already experienced hardship in obtaining supplies and paying rent, and there has been at least one case of a reserve man receiving notice to vacate his flat because he had fallen behind with his payments. However, the position has now been improved by the employment of additional pay staff. Payment of men is being made weekly and the marriage allotment fortnightly, the first payment of the latter being arranged for today and early next week •? In one other respect some of the married reserve men feel that they have been subjected to hardship. Many of them have temporarily given up positions returning a far better wage than their military pay, on which it is difficult to maintain ordinary household payments and such other calls as insurance premiums. Making it more difficult for them to meet these commitments from their military pay is the fact that on leave they have to pay their own transport fares. Some of the men who have had to give their wives more than the Army marriage allotment to keep their homes going find that as much as 5/6 a week out of their very modest pocket-money has to be spent going home on leave nights, and there is a feeling among them that some arrangement could easily be made to relieve them of this additional sacrifice.