SOLDIERS’ PROTEST

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20569, 31 May 1941, Page 5

SOLDIERS’ PROTEST

DEDUCTIONS FROM PAY CLOTHING REPLACEMENTS MEN RETURNED FROM FIJI - (I’er Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. Support for complaints made by, the members of the New Zealand forces in Fiji that they had been charged with the cost of clothing, was given by a party of nine men who produced their pay books showing red ink debit, entries and gave their version of the procedure. They said that towards the end of January or the beginning of February they had been told to check over their kit and parade at the ordnance store to draw replacements. Some men needed new shirts, some required new boots and others socks. When they were handed the equivalent articles they proffered their wornout goods to the ordnance staff, who told them they were not wanted and to get rid of them any way they could. Protest Unavailing “We heard no more about the matter until three months later, when we were on the eve of embarking for New Zealand to go overseas again to join the New Zealand Division in the Middle East we hope,” 'their spokesman said. “Then we were told that we would have tq_ pay for the articles which had been given us to replace our worn-out stuff. We protested, but it was no use because we were told that if we did not sign the kit deficiency form and hand in our pay books to have the items debited against us, we would not be allowed to embark. Our officers could not do anything in the matter and there it rests in the meantime. The cost of each individual is not much, but we feel we should support the protest which has been made if only for .the sake of the men still there and who may be similarly treated. Clothing Not Lost “Quite definitely, although our paybooks show the entries as being for kit deficiencies and we have signed the kit deficiency form, these articles were not short in our kit. We admit that if a man loses some portion of his equipment or clothing by carelessness, he should pay for it, but there was nothing of the sort in this case. Our shirts, • socks and underclothes were definitely worn out as it will be understood they soon would be since in a climate like that of Fiji they must be washed almost every day. We always understood that the army would replace anything that had had fair wear and tear, but that has not happened to us.”

The soldiers could not say whether they had been charged cost as for the new articles or on a scale which gives each article a diminishing value according to the period of use in its accepted life.