70,000 STILL TO APPLY FOR GRATUITY

Chronicle (Levin), 1 April 1946, Page 2

70,000 STILL TO APPLY FOR GRATUITY

ONE -THIRD OF APPLICATIONS DEALT WITH SO FAR WELLINGTON, Alarch 3,1. I ii u statement on .wai- sei;\;ice gratuuies, the Minister of Defence (Hoir. F. •lunes) announced, that the . number of applications received to date iqtalled 1(55,725), and .of that nunibev the claiius had been . completed and •I'ost' Offi.ce. aceounts opcned for 50,321. "A Sevviecinan or fSerVicewoman whose app'licaliiun has been full'y checkCd and vorilied Xvill have receivej a special war service gratui'ties book that will cutitle them to jeave thei'f- luonie.s on dcposit at th'c I'ost Oflice ftavings ibtuk or withdraw it at their' dis'cretion/' said the Minister. ('As cach application is completed, the DirectorGoncral of the l'ost and Telegrapli Deparl inent posts to eacli >Sei;viceinun a special graluity passbook ..with the fiiiomil due clearlv set out. WLthdrawal fioni ihe J'o.sl Oliice Kavings account cann.ot be made except after .receipt of ;he iiassbook. " iSlightly more thau 100,000 -ai>plicali'ins, said Mr. dones, were stiil in process of checking by the lltree Bervices and it was anticipated tliat tliese would i>e veriiied at the iate of 10,000 weekly. Mr. J.ines addml that it was Tegratbe 1 that all aceounts eould iio't be cotnpleted by' the date nicntioned ]^"e'viyuslv — Ajiril -1— but among ^thd-'drtticulties of sucli a liuge tusk had been' tim lpssrof manpower due to the lifting '"of, matipower controls. This liad beeji parfly relieved by the transfer-ef Bulilic Service volunteers, who had vvorked • opprtiine t-o facililate thd completion of tilie work.. - . ... v | : • The Minister added .tliat interest ;at • the rate of 2A per cenL'a year would accrue to all aceounts iis, fioni Monday next, and irfcspoctive of the .ijatq of ledgrnent. a special bonus of 5 per cent. vvoukl be payable on Aprii 1, of next year on the balance in the 'account on the previous day. According to the records, there wdre still some 70,000 qualilied Berviceineu who had not yet applied for the gratuitv, and those who had applied late

iniglit have to wait some time' Tjefpre tlieir money and passbook ' could b-> made available. The.staffs were working through Saturdays and Suudaysi to complete the ac.counts at the earlilest possible moment, but it would not hffip iu aa y wayfor claimaats to' write'to

Base Records or the respecti\ e dejiartmtjits and aslt for their aceounts to receive special' attention. Receipt of the passbook would be notiiication that .the application had been veriiied .and the aoiouut of the gratuity detenaiaed.-