MONEY FOR LEAVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23767, 21 September 1940, Page 13

MONEY FOR LEAVE

A SERIOUS PROBLEM SOLDIERS ECONOMISE AID FROM HOME FRONT (From the Official War Correspondent with the New Zealand Forces in Britain) ALDERSHOT, August 26 These are days of hard personal economy in camp. No man may go on his seven days' leavo unless he has £3 ]os to his credit, and tbe average private soldier's paybook is hard put to pass the test. Some are able to borrow from their fellows. More try to do so. Most have fallen back upon tbe home front. Every soldier overseas is to be allowed to receive £2O a year front New Zealand, all transactions to go through the Army Pay Office. When 48 hours' leave was granted, early in our stay here, most of the men went to London. To guard against the possibility of a few of thein running short of money while there, an auxiliary pay office was opened near Now Zealand House. Or, rather, it developed into an auxiliary pay office. It was opened in the first place to meet the expected odd case, but soon those with spendthrift tastes heard about it, and a rush set in.

At that time, credits having accumulated during the voyage, most paybooks were well in credit, and men going on leave had been advised to leave something undrawn to await their return. The object of the rush was to draw these nest-eggs in London. Some men made the pay office there their first port of call, although others did not turn to it until they were really short. It was felt, however, that a privilege had been abused, and it was decided not to open the London office a second time, and that a man must have money before he will be granted leave.