Service Gratuities

Dominion, Volume 39, Issue 28, 27 October 1945, Page 6

Service Gratuities

Sir, —Four or five months ago the Government announced a gratuity for both returned and home servicemen and women who have served in the war just ended, to show its unbounded gratitude toward them. Shortly afterward in the House,

when Mr. Nash was questioned by a member, of the Opposition about war taxation being retained in the Budget for the

coming year, he said that £18,000,000 had been budgeted for in the coming year to provide the service gratuities. Since

then not a whisper has been heard of them. Is it possible that the Government is too concerned. Hitler-like, with suppressing the votes of dangerous minion'ties (as witness the impending removal of the country quota) to worry about gratuities promised to mere returned men, who in hundreds of cases need the gratuity to help them buy houses? However,

Government members as a whole not being returned men, perhaps they couldn’t be expected to know anything about that. They might also be well advised to note that a meeting of returned men was lately held in Auckland to pass a resolution demanding payment of the gratuities. It appears very likely that the money is merely masquerading under the name of gratuities at present, and is to be paid out next year, in a manner typical of this Government, as vote-catching bonuses. Such tactics will fool none of us. If we don’t hear from the Government in the very near future the Government will hear from ns next year in no uncertain fashion.—l am. etc.. RETURNED .SERVICEMAN. Napier. October 23.