SOLDIERS' PRIVILEGES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1919, Page 2

SOLDIERS' PRIVILEGES.

PRECAUTIONS BY RAILWAY ij's DEPARTMENT. STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF CONDITIONS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Jan. 23, The Railway Department lias had to take steps to protect the returned soldiers' privilege of four weeks free travelling by insisting that precautions against its use by those not entitled to it shall he strictly observed. As a result a number of soldiers who were travelling without certificates of discharge are held up in various parts of New Zealand.

The ticket is a valuable privilege, but has been abused somewhat because the precautions laid down in the Returned Soldiers' Hand-book, repeated on the warrant for the ticket, and again on the ticket itself, are not being generally carried out. When the privilege was first introduced it was available only during the period of leave prior to discharge, so that a soldier was in uniform when travelling and there was little chance of tickets benig used Iby unauthorised persons. Now the privilege is available for any 28-day period within three months of a soldiers' return, this enabling: men to spend some time at their homes before commencing to travel. The extension of the period carries it beyond the date of discharge, so that a soldier can travel in mufti. Under these circumstances, as experienced in actual eases, impersonation has been resorted tcf, and the Railway Department has found it necessary to strictly enforce the conditions printed on the tickets, that the returned soldier's certificate of discharge must 'be exhibited to the guard or ticket collector when travelling, or if a soldier has not been discharged his leave certificate must be carried and shown. Officers, who receive no certificate of discharge, are required to produce their notice of having been struck oft the strength of the Expeditionary , Force. Base Records posts a soldier's discharge to the address he has notified before the actual date of discharge, so as to avoid any difficulty in using the railway privilege. But men are evidently travelling while their discharges are awaiting them at home, making no arrangements to have the necessary documents forwarded on.

To try to overcome this difficulty Base Records will in future post discharges not less than ten days prior to date of discharge. As a result of representations by the Defence Department the General Manager of Railways has agreed to return impounded tickets on production, where possible, of a soldier's certificate of discharge, or where this is impossible the department will accept a telegram from Base Records giving a description of a soldier and a copy of the discharge. The Railway Department will refund any fare charged a soldier, for journeys taken prior to impounding. It will, however, strictly enforce tho conditions in future.