OFFICER'S KIT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2717, 11 March 1916, Page 6

OFFICER'S KIT

THE DEPARTMENT'S PRACTICE. Keference was made in The Dominion a few days ago to the essary hardship, as it seemed —inflicted on young officers in the Expeditionary Force l>y tho delay in the payment to tliom of the £25 kit allowance. It ia a fact that these young men do buy their own kit out of their own cash, often straining their slender resources sorely, and that they do not receive the Government allowanco until some tlmo after tlicy have mado the necessary purchases. The. Defence was asked to state what the practice of the Department was, and after inquiring from ths responsible Departmental officers, lio gave tho following reply: "A man who gains liis commission, by promotion through the non-commissioned raliks will get his allowance at once._ Officers going into camp with a prolationer.y commission, mostly men on tho Unattached B List, have to wait a month_ for their allowance, this being the period during which "they are on trial. The reason lor tho rulo is that wo cannot be sure that men with probationery commissions will prove suitable, and until wo are sure of them wo cannot buy kits for them. This does not apply to the men who have como from the non-commissioned ranks, becauso we have already tried them thoroughly, and we know them."