ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT

New Zealand Tablet, 9 November 1916, Page 31

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT

Constant Reader. — (l) Government officials have no right to examine the books of any bank to find out how much money a person has deposited. Bank officials refuse to have the bank books inspected by outsiders, be they Government officials or others. In certain cases in law the magistrate or judge can order bank officials to answer questions or produce books even when such action may reveal the state of the private account of the third party. The case of a person applying for the ‘Old age pension’ is an exception. - ■ In that cas6 the bank is legally bound to give information to the Registrar of Old Age Pensions as to the amount of money the person applying for the pension has in the bank and the amount the person drew from the bank during the previous year. (2) While a soldier is in Trentham. he is not bound to make an allotment of his pay to any person. If parents or others are depending on him and he makes no allowance they should apply, stating their case, to the Paymaster, Trentham, who will probably bring the soldier to a sense of his duty. (3) Every soldier before leaving New Zealand for the front has to sign a document giving authority to the Paymaster to allot a certain amount of his pay to those persons who were naturally dependent on him while he was’in New Zealand, such as his wife, children, or parents. We would recommend Constant Reader ’ to apply to the authorities at Trentham, seating the full case. This may be done through the local defence office.