MUFTI ALLOWANCE

Evening Star, Issue 24054, 28 November 1941, Page 4

MUFTI ALLOWANCE

MINISTER ANNOUNCES INCREASE PREVIOUS AMOUNT INSUFFICIENT An increase of £5 in the mufti allowance payable to the members of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. discharged within or beyond New Zealand after service overseas is announced by the Minister of Defence (Horn F. Jones). The allowance now payable will be £l2 10s, as against £7 10s formerly payable, Regulations covering the position were gazetted yesterday. “ The amount originally decided upon was £7 10s,” Air Jones said, “but the Government has now given consideration to the question of raising it, as it has been recognised that the allowance was not sufficient to enable members of the Expeditionary Force on return from overseas to purchase civil clothing. It has accordingly been decided to raise the amount to £l2 10s. The mufti allowance is given provided the soldier returns certain articles of his kit.” The Minister said that payment would bo retrospective, and the Director. Pay Accounts, and Base Records would issue warrants for the sum of £5 to all those soldiers who had returned to New Zealand and had received the original grant of £7 10s or portion thereof. The warrants would be posted during the next 14 days to the last recorded address of those entitled to the payment. Those returned soldiers who should have cleared their kit. at the local area offices would receive a part payment of £7 10s of the allowance immediately, leaving the balance to be issued on receipt of the kit clearance. The Minister added that the procedure to be adopted for future returning drafts would ensure that £7 10s of the mufti allowance would be available within 14 days of the decision of the Army Posting Committee to discharge a returned soldier and while ho was enjoying his privilege leave. The balance of £5 would 1m paid when the kit clearance was received.