FINES ON ACTIVE SERVICE.

Taihape Daily Times, 14 July 1919, Page 5

FINES ON ACTIVE SERVICE.

THE REMISSION POICY. ‘ WELLINGTON, this day. 5 I A special Court? of lnquiry was re-* 0 cently set up Hy ’thc Defence Depart-3 3 ment to consider applications for re- V mission of fines and forfeiture incurred under Section 6 of the Army Act. The i t ;reason for this action is that it is eon- f sidered by the ‘authorities only fair ‘ x -to soldiers who have given good service t in the field, and have cleared their") record, that -the monetary penalties in- E ; curred in order to inforce discipline 1 [daring }ac‘tive serviice ‘kind dtraining is should now be refunded. Under the} stress of war obligations, men came 3] from civil life, and were rapidly trained to military duties. It was essential ' ] to secure a high level of military disci- j pline, and this had ‘often to be en-‘E3 forced by the punishment of a forfeiture of pay. Examination of the ;; records of punishment shows that the s New Zealand soldier was not prone to ‘ , jserious ofi‘cnces.. Absence without!‘ ' leave‘" for short periods, and minor mililtary oifences'which tended ‘to impair! good discipline, comprises the bulk of; ‘the delinquencies. Thesg ofiences had; to be-checked, so as not to impair the ' . eificiency of the whole force, but now. ‘the time of stress is over the .au‘tho.ri-I ties can take an easier View of the! !situation and the result will be the‘ ‘remission of -a. large number of forfeitures of pay." Hundreds of apps-‘ cations for remissions have already been received by the Director of Base Records, and the Court of Inquiry has -laid down important general principles on which it will take action. It]will decline to grant remissions_~ for‘ I such serious offences as the followingzx i._De.sertion, insubordinate to an ‘ofiicer, l..§;e_l:EJinflicted Wounds, rtheft, uttering for-gecfd documents or absence from , dutyfduring‘;§_aetio”n. ,« _ V Consideration: ofjfapplications for-._re. . missions . "w‘il.l"be' given for ordinary offences Tit only,‘ in" cases ‘where the soldier ha§"'a“'clear record for six ‘months, wherehe "hes been ppromotedp ‘on the field, or ivheré, he has re_cei‘ved an award or decoration‘. . I" The decision of th eCour’c is» com- ‘ muni‘i3a.ted to the soldier concerned, and also to‘th'é ’O_flice‘r in charge of War lExpenses, ‘who will make the necessary ‘adjustment of the pay accoun'fi. ‘ I