MUFTI ALLOWANCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20625, 28 November 1941, Page 4

MUFTI ALLOWANCE

INCREASE FOR N.Z.E.F. MEN

DISCHARGE FROM ARMY (Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN, this day. An announcement that the amount of the mufti allowance payable to members of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force discharged within or beyond New Zealand after service overseas, would be increased from £7 10s to £l2 10s, was made bv the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, last night. Regulations covering the position were gazetted to-day.

“The amount originally decided upon was £7 10s,” Mr Jones said, •‘but the Government has now given consideration to the question of raising it, as it has been recognised the allowance is not sufficient to enable members of the expeditionary force on return from overseas to purchase their 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 the payment would be retrospective, and the director of 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. Warrants would be posted to the last recorded address of those entitled t<. payment during the next 14 days.

Those returned soldiers who should have cleared their kit at the local area offices would receive part payment of £7 10s of the allowance immediately, leaving the balance to be issued on receipt of a 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 he was enjoying his privilege leave the balance of £5 would be’ paid when the kit clearance was received.