TO CABLE MONEY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2515, 17 July 1915, Page 6

TO CABLE MONEY

COMPLAINT AGAINST CHARGES. A complaint concerning the Very heavy cost of sending money to wounded soldiers by cable was made by Mr. o- G. Coatcs in the House yesteiday. He said that when wounded were sent back to base hospitals their records did not'go back with them,- so that they could receive no pay. So it happened that they cabled to their relatives liero for money. One suoli case had come under his notice.' The father had cabled £5. The soldier was charged £1 commission by tho Bank of New Zealand, and telegrams in Egypt and other charges cost 14s. 7d., so that of tho £5 transmitted the soldier had received £3 ss. ;sd. The Hon. J. Allen said that arrangements had already been made for the transmission of money by cable. Apparently they were not sufficiently well known. . Mr. Russell: How long ago were they made ? Mr. 'Allen: Oh, long ago. We have tent dozens of telegrams conveying money to Egypt. Ho explained the method. Persons .wishing to remit could apply to>tho Post Office for directions. The Postal Department received the moneys and.sent a consolidated telegram, transmitting a fairly large amount, made up of many small sums for different people. The charge made was, 10s. for any sum up to £10, ivhile on the subject of sending money in ,reply to cabled appeals he would like the senders to be quite sure that tho telegrams were genuine. In Australia some of tho appeals received were not genuine, and it was suspected that some received in New Zealand were not genuine. . Mr. A'. M. Myers, asked the Minister to consider the desirability of opening in Egypt a bureau of information, detached from the military altogether, for the assistance of soldiers. Mr. Allen said he did not think any. such inquiry bureau was necessary. The base record office there was doing splendid work. As a matter of fact the base record office was receiving these moneys, and was distributing them through the medium of visiting chaplains. Ho had every reason to, believe that this arrangement worked very satisfactorily. There was some trouble about the delivery of letters,; and the Postmaster-General was considering whether it was desirable to send one or more postal officials, to assist with letters and 1 other inquiries in Egypt. Up till the present the Government had no information which would justify tho. Government in sending them,-. - ===== - i