SOLDIERS' WIVES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 121, 23 May 1940, Page 6

SOLDIERS' WIVES

DELAY IN AIXOTMESPJ .^PAYMENTS .V-:

WILL BE REMEDIED

An assurance that any cases reported to the military authorities of delay in the payment of marriage allowances to the wives of soldiers would be investigated and remedied immediately was given .-by the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) in an interview last evening.- The Minister's statement was made when his attention was drawn to an Auckland report that constant complaints were being received there from wives unable to obtain the marriage allotment held back from the pay of. husbands serving in the Second Echeion of the New Zealand' Expeditionary Force.

Mr. Jones said there had been complaints regarding the payment of the marriage allotment to the wives of men in the First Echelon. Some of these were due to the fact that the soldiers and wives concerned had not known the proper procedure, that forms had not been correctly filled in, and the necessity for verifying the contents. In other cases the required information had not been supplied, and in some it was not correct. Delays in making payment were inevitable in such cases.

So far as the .Second Echelon was concerned very few complaints had been received, and immediately particulars of any specific case had been received by the Army Department or himself steps were taken to investigate it and rectify the position. If anybody knew of any case of a person entitled to an allotment failing to receive it on the due date they should get into touch with the officer commanding the district or Army Headquarters immediately, and the matter would be remedied. A general statement that there were delays was of no help whatever.