WAR GRATUITIES

Evening Star, Issue 25849, 20 July 1946, Page 6

WAR GRATUITIES

ONLY 20 PER CENT. WITHDRAWN TOTAL EXPENDITURE OF £18,000,000 (Special.) WELLINGTON, July 20. "It is gratifying to note that, although over £10,000.000 was credited in war gratuities up to June 30 last, only £2,277,668 has been _ withdrawn by servicemen and service women," said the Minister of Defence, the Hon F. Jones. " This shows that the majority of recipients are anxious to save and recognise the benefit of receiving Post Offico savings bank interest at 2% per cent., plus tho bonus of 5 per cent. The number of claims received so far totals 206,342, and the number-dealt with up to July 17 was 150,327, representing a value of £13,086,137." It was estimated, continued the Minister, that the cost •of gratuities would be £18,000,000, and on the numbers still to be dealt with and the expenditure already incurred it appeared that the final cost would be close to the estimated figure. - " Out of the 150,000, cases already dealt with, it has been found necessary for the services to refer fewer than 1,000 to me for direction as to

whom the-recipient or recipients should be," said Mr Jones. " Some cases have been very difficult to decide, but an hoqest endeavour With, I trust, equitable results, has been made to , give the money to those most entitled to •receive it. " Servicemen who receive war pensions are entitled to supplementation of the gratuity and the claims for supplementation are handled. by the Pensions Department. Fifteen thousand cases have been dealt with, and at the moment only five are awaiting final action." ■•••.'. BIG TASK. The Minister added that, towards the "end,.of last year, when the regulations were introduced, it was .anticipated that- gratuity moneys would , be" made available at April 1. This had not been due principally to three reasons. Firstly, many men and women delayed the submission of their forms. Secondly, the information contained on the forms was not always correct, and required a lot of verification and amendment. Thirdly, the demands on clerical man power m other directions and the loss of staff when the manpower restrictions were lifted caused a serious labour shortage. It had been necessary also to hold up certain applications, particularly those which related to deceased servicemen, in order to give the dependents and other, people who may have a' right to the money arid who lived overseas- an opportunity of making application. Simultaneously with the paying the gratuities the staff at the paying centre, Base Records Office, Wellington, had closed 85,000 pay accounts —a task of great magnitude when it was noted that'the payments of deferred pay, mufti allowances, _ dependents' allowances, etc., were all incidental. " The staffs of the various departments concerned are to be complimented for the outstanding efficiency displayed in the performance of the duties concerning the payment of war service gartuties, said the Minister. Mr Jones added that the Government had recently decided to grant a compassionate allowance to dependents of merchant seamen permanently domiciled in New Zealand on the outbreak of the war and who lost their lives in seafaring service during the war.