PRIZE MONEY DUE TO AIR PERSONNEL: CABINET’S POLICY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22923, 16 April 1949, Page 8

PRIZE MONEY DUE TO AIR PERSONNEL: CABINET’S POLICY

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 16. The apportionment of war prizemoney to Air Force personnel was not made individually because of the difficulty of deciding the apportionment, said the Minister of Defence, Mr. F. Jones, today.

The Minister was asked the reason why prize-money was being paid individiually to Navy personnel who served during the late war, and to a trust fund for Air Force personnel.

Mr. Jones said that because of the difficulties of apportionment in Britain, it had been decided to allocate Air Force prize-money to the Air Force Association and to the Air Force Welfare Fund. In Australia a similar decision had been reached. In New Zealand there were welfare funds for Air Force personnel, but they would not benefit people who had served during the war and who were not now in the Air Force, for those funds were for serving members. Therefore it had been thought desirable to have a special trust fund for the general benefit of those who served in the Air Force during the recent war. Mr. Jones stated that had individual payments been decided on for the Air Force the number of people involved would have made a long job for a big staff, and in some cases individuals would have received only a few shillings.

Rather than employ a large staff for some time on this work it iiad been decided to follow the general procedure of Britain and Australia, and provide a trust fund for those who served in the Air Force during the war. With the Navy, with a less involved apportionment and fewer people involved, it had not been thought necessary to alter the individual system which had applied to the Navy for many years concluded the Minister. v