GRATUITIES, ALLOWANCES, ETC. (ESTIMATED COST OF), TO MEMBERS OF THE NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITIONARY FORCE AND TO NEW-ZEALANDERS WHO HAVE SERVED WITH IMPERIAL NAVAL AND MILITARY FORCES, WITH CONDITIONS OF PAYMENT.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1919 Session I, H-19d

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1919. NEW ZEALAND.

GRATUITIES, ALLOWANCES, ETC. (ESTIMATED COST OF), TO MEMBERS OF THE NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITIONARY FORCE AND TO NEW-ZEALANDERS WHO HAVE SERVED WITH IMPERIAL NAVAL AND MILITARY FORCES, WITH CONDITIONS OF PAYMENT.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

ESTIMATED COST OF GRATUITIES AND ALLOWANCES TO MEMBERS OF THE NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITIONARY FORCES AND TO NEW-ZEALANDERS WHO HAVE SERVED WITH IMPERIAL NAVAL AND MILITARY FORCES. Overseas War Service Gratuity. . New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (a.) Estimated cost of paying the gratuity at Is. 6d. per day £ £ £ from embarkation to the signing of peace —28th June, 1919 .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,075,000 (6.) Additional to provide for minimum gratuity for two years' service in case of members deceased while on active service abroad .. .. .. .. .. 225,000 (<;.) Additional to provide for minimum gratuity for eighteen months' service in case of members evacuated to New Zealand from an actual theatre of war on account of sickness or wounds .. .. .. .. 213,000 5,513,000 New-Zealanders in Imperial Naval and Military Forces. (il.) Estimated cost of paying the difference between Imperial and New Zealand gratuity — (1.) Army Reservists and Imperial soldiers .. 16,000 (2.) Naval Reservists and members of Motor-boat Patrol .. .. .. .. 23,000 39,000 5,552,000 Retrospective and other Allowances. (c.) Retrospective children's allowance .. .. .. 249,000 (/'.) Estimated cost of increased allowance to widowed mothers and other dependants on revised basis of pre-enlistment support up to a maximum of 3s. a day with retrospective effect if necessary .. .. .. .. 50,000 299,000 (//.) Estimated cost of retrospective payment at Expeditionary Force rate of pay to members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (including Home Service Branch) who received the lower Territorial rate of pay for the first calendar month of their service in camp in New Zealand .. 97,000 (h.) Estimated cost of paying the difference between Imperial rates of pay and allowances and New Zealand rates for equivalent ranks to Army and Navy Reservists, nurses and soldiers enlisted in Imperial units, and members of the Motor-boat Patrol, who were domiciled in New Zealand (1.) Married (less any supplementary allowance already paid from New Zealand funds) .. .. 18,840 (2.) Single .. .. .. .. .. 81,540 100,380 496,380 £6,048,380

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PENSIONS. It is proposed : — (a.) To remove by legislation the restriction which now debars the payment of a disablement pension to the wife of a disabled soldier who marries outside New Zealand after disablement, provided that the marriage takes place during the period of his military service. (6.) To give power by legislation to the War Pensions Board to consider for pension special cases where marriage with a disabled soldier takes place more than two years after discharge, if special circumstances warrant the grant of a disablement pension. 'LIFE-INSURANCE PREMIUMS. If a returned soldier not in receipt of a pension'wishes to insure his life, any loading of premium on account of impaired health occasioned by service will be paid by the Government, provided that— (a.) The insurance is effected through the Government Life Insurance Department. (b.) The sum assured does not exceed £500. (c.) The soldier makes application on or before 31st Deoember, 1921. (d.) The soldier has paid the ordinary premium. Application should be made to the Secretary, Financial Assistance Board, Panama Street, Wellington.

CONDITIONS

Overseas War Service Gratuity. 1. The scale in' accordance with which the amount of bonus payable as an overseas war-service gratuity to members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force having been fixed at Is. 6d. per day by Order in Council, the said gratuity will be determined subject to the following conditions. 2. The gratuity cannot be claimed or recovered by any person as a matter of right, but shall be deemed to be a free gift by the State in recognition of the honourable service of members of the Expeditionary Forces in the present war, and may in any case be withheld or deferred at the discretion of the Minister of Defence. 3. Service for the gratuity will be active service within periods beginning on the 4th August, 1914, and ending on the date of the signing of peace —viz., 28th June, 1919, inclusive. 4. The gratuity will commence to run for each member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force from and including the date of embarkation or re-embarkation from New Zealand on active service, or date of enlistment abroad in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, up to and including the date of decease or discharge abroad, or the date of disembarkation on return to New Zealand, or the 28th June, 1919, whichever comes first. 5. In the case of members who died while on active service beyond the seas the period for which the gratuity will be payable shall not be less than two years, 6. In the case of members evacuated sick or wounded from an actual theatre of war and returned to New Zealand as unfit for further overseas service, the period for which the gratuity will be payable shall not be less than eighteen calendar months. The term " theatre of war " shall be as defined in regulations approved from time to time for the issue of war-medals. 7. Except in the case of members who died on active service abroad, the following periods of service will not reckon as qualifying service for the purpose of gratuity : — (a.) Any period for which gross pay was forfeited by Royal Warrant. (b.) Any period of service exceeding twenty-eight days for which gross pay was ordered to be forfeited. (c.) Any period of service during which hospital stoppages have been charged for illness, the result of misconduct, or for illness caused by a soldier rendering himself unfit for service.

The above [subparagraphs (a) and (b) will not apply !to any period of service for which forfeitures have been remitted. 8. The gratuity or balance of gratu ty in the case of a member not already discharged or deceased will not be, ssuable earlier thin twenty-eight days after his return to : New Z aland. 9. Any to any member o' to his dependants, or any public claim chargeable against him by a Government Department, will be deducted from the gratuity. 10. Where it appears that any member has, while in the service, omitted to make proper provision for his wife and children, whether legitimate or illegitimate, or in I any case in which the circumstances seem to him to so require, the Minister of Defence may direct that the gratuity be applied in or towards the making of provision so far-as possible for the said wife or children or as the circumstances may demand. The Defence Department may pay to a person or society considered to be able to distribute the money in the best interests of the family. 11. In the case of any member who, after service in the Expeditionary Force beyond the seas, has died whilst still a member of that Force, or who, after such service beyond the seas, has died after being honourably discharged from that Force, but without receiving such gratuity, the gratuity may be paid to or divided between his widow, children, father, or mother, as provided by section 7,- subsection (3), of the Expeditionary Forces Amendment Act, 1918. 12. The gratuity will not be paid in the case of an officer whose services are dispensed with or who has resigned or has been s'ruck off the strength from any cause which, in the opinion of the General Officer Commanding, disqualifies him for the gratuity. 13. The gratuity will not be paid in the case of a soldier— (a.) Discharged with ignominy, or on account of misconduct ; (6.) Undergoing a sentence of penal servitude, imprisonment, or detention at the expiration of which he is discharged, under (a) above. 14. Application forms (E.F. Pay Form 192) for gratuity will be distributed to all post-offices throughout New Zealand. These forms must be completed where necessary and forwarded to the Officer in Charge War Expenses, Wellington. In the case of deceased members the applications should be made by their legal representatives.

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15. When the form is received in the Pay Office it will be numbered and dealt with strictly in order of receipt. Owing to the very large number of cases it will be some time before they can all be investigated, so that applicants must not expect payment at once. The application will be examined by the Pay Office and the gratuity calculated. The amount due will be remitted to the Postal Department for either— («.) Depositing to the credit of the applicant's present account in the Post Office Savings-bank ; or (6.) Depositing to the credit of a Post Office Savingsbank account which will be specially opened if the applicant has no other bank account; or (c.) Lodgment at any bank or private savings-bank in New Zealand at which the applicant has a current account as shown in the application ; or (a!.) Payment to or for the person entitled under paragraph 11 hereof. In no case will the amount be paid direct to the member by the Pay Office. Separation Allowance, N.Z. Expeditionary Force (Foreign Service Branch). 1. It has been approved that the present rate of 3s. a day separation allowance payable to the wives of warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the Foreign Service Branch of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, or to the guardians of their motherless children, and the present rate of Is. 6d. per day paid on behalf of their children, shall apply with retrospective effect from the date of the commencement of the war — i.e., 4th August, 1914- within periods of service with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. 2. These allowances are payable only on behalf of soldiers who left New Zealand for overseas service, and will commence to run from the date of issue of the first military pay in each case, provided the soldier was attached to an overseas draft. No payment will be made for any period in New Zealand whilst the soldier was performing Home Service duties. Where the date of marriage or the date of birth of a child is later than the date of the issue of first military pay the married allowance will run from the date of marriage, and children's allowance from the date of the birth of the child. 3. Owing to the incomplete records in 1914 and 1915, and the consequent difficulty in ascertaining the actual dates of the first issue of pay, the following dates will be adopted for the purposes of this order as the dates on which pay was first issued to men belonging to the undermentioned portions of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force:— Advance Party (Samoa) .. Bth August, 1914. Main Body and Ist Reinforcements .. .. 12th August, 1914. 2nd Reinforcements . . 4th October, 1914. 3rd Reinforcements .. filth December, 1914. 4th Reinforcements . . 6th January, 1915. sth Reinforcements . . 10th February, 1915. 6th Reinforcements . . 18th April, 1915. Rifle Brigade (Ist and 2nd Battalions) .. .. 3rd»June, 1.915. 4. Married allowance has already been paid as under : — Warrant Officers, Non-commissioned Officers, and Men. Wives — Is. a day from Ist June, 1915, to 31st December, 1917.' 3s. a day from Ist January, 1918. Guardians of motherless children— Is. a day from Ist June, 1915, to 30th April, 1918. 3s. a day from Ist May, 1918.

I Arrears are therefore payable as follow : — Warrant Officers, Non-commissioned Officers, and Men. Wives— 3s. a day from dates shown in paragraphs 2 and 3 to 31st May, 1915. 2s. a day from Ist June, 1915. to 31st December, 1917." |Guardians of motherless children 3s. a day from the dates shown in paragraphs 2 and 3 to 31st May, 1915. 2s. a day from Ist June, 1915, to 30th April, 1918. 5. Children's allowance at the following rates has already been paid as under : — 6d. a day from Ist June, 1915, to 30th June, 1916. 9d. a day from Ist July, 1916, to 31st December, 1917.' Is. a day from Ist January, 1918, to 30th April, 1918.' Is. 6d. a day from Ist May, 191.8. Arrears are therefore payable as follow : — Is. 6d. a day from dates shown in paragraphs 2 and 3 to 31st May, 1915. Is. a day from Ist June, 1915, to 30th June, 1916. 9d. a day from Ist July, 1916, to 31st December, 1917." 6d. a day from Ist January, 1918, to 30th April, 1918." 6. The retrospective principle as regards allowance of 3s. a day is also applicable to officers holding the rank of Lieutenant or 2nd Lieutenant up to the 31st December, 1917, on whose behalf married allowance has been payable from the Ist January, 1918, to the 31st March, 1918, when the rate of officers' pay was increased and the allowance ceased. Arrears are therefore payable to their wives or to the guardians of their motherless children at the rate of 3s. a day from the dates shown in paragraphs 2 and 3 up to the 31st December, 1917, inclusive. Children's allowance, whether retrospective or otherwise, is not payable on behalf of any officer. 7. The payee generally will be identical with the person who is drawing or has already drawn separation allowance. In case of misconduct, desert'on, or decease of the original payee, the Department reserves the right not to make any payment, or to pay to a person or society considered to be able to distribute the money in the best interests of the soldier's family. Any such amount shall not be claimable by the soldier. 8. In the case of a deceased soldier payment will be made up to the date of decease, or to the date to which separation allowance or allotment was continued if later, but not after the 31st December, 1917, for married allowance, or the 30th April, 1918, for children's allowance. 9. Payment will only be issued on application, which should be made by letter addressed to the Officer in Charge War Expenses, Wellington. The following particulars are required: — Regimental number, rank, and full'name of soldier. Reinforcement to which attached. Date of discharge or decease. Full name and address of applicant. 10. There will be deducted from amounts payable under this order any payments already made under the authority of Special General Order 188 of 1919, which is hereby cancelled. 11. W.'dowcd mothers and other dependants of warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men (except wives and children) who have not applied for or received any dependants' allowance, may now apply by letter to the Officer in Charge War Expenses, Wellington, for an allowance.

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(a.) Applicants who have already received an allowance which has not been sufficient to remove hardship during military service, either by reason of an inadequate amount or by being paid for a portion only of the period of military service under limitations imposed by previous orders, may apply or their cases to be reconsidered. (b.) The Soldiers' Financial Ass : stancc Board will investigate each application and recommend whether an allowance should be granted to i those who have not applied for or received an allowance, and to what extent, or whether the allowance should be increased in the case of those who received an inadequate amount previously, or whether the period in the latter case should also be extended. (c.) Payments will be made by the Officer in Charge War Expenses according to the recommendation of the Soldiers' Financial Assistance Hoard within periods of service from the beginning of the war. The rate available for issue will be governed by the extent of the pre-enlistmont support of the soldier less any allotment of pay made by him to or or the dependant, with a maximum of 3s. per day for each dependant, and less any payments already made under previous authorities. (d.)\ Pre-enlistment support will not be insisted upon in cases where circumstances have changed since the soldier's enlistment by reason of which the soldier became responsible for the full or partial maintenance of a widowed mother or other dependants. Each case will be considered on its merits by the Soldiers' Financial Assist- :■ ' : ance Board.

12. None of the allowances authorized in this order can be claimed as a right, but are issued at the discretion of the Minister of Defence. Retrospective Payment to Members op the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who received Territorial Rates ok Pay cor First Month in Training Camps. .1.4. In cases where' members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (including Foreign and Home Service Branches) received Territorial rates of pay during the first month in training-camps in New Zealand, their pay will be made up to the Expeditionary Force rates in force at the time from the date of first issue of military pay. For the purposes hereof the provisions of paragraph 3 shall apply to those portions of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force mentioned therein. Payment will be made by the Officer in Charge, War Expenses, Wellington, on application only. Allowances to New-Zealanders who have served with: Imperial Naval and Military Forces. 15. In the case of persons domiciled in New Zealand who have served in the Imperial Naval and Military Forces during the war, the difference between the Imperial rates of pay, allowances, and gratuity and the New Zealand rates for the same for equivalent ranks will be paid, less any amounts already received under previous authorities. For the purposes of such payment the pay of a private or equivalent rank in Imperial Forces shall be taken to be one shilling and sixpence per day. Applications should be made to the Paymaster-General, Treasury, Wellington, who will arrange payment.

[Specimen op Application Form.] Specimen signature Specimen signature. [Space here for P. 0.5.8. deposit slip.] E.F. Pay Form 192.] New Zealand Expeditionary Force. No. OVERSEAS WAR-SERVICE GRATUITY. (For instructions see paragraphs 14 and 15.) Regtl. No. : . Full name of soldier : [Surname and Christian names]. Rank : To the Officer in Charge War Expenses, Wellington. I hereby make application for Overseas War-service Gratuity as a member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. In the spaces provided for above please find specimens (two) of my ordinary signature. Please pay to my credit. Strikeout (( ffl -) Post Office Savings-bank account No. is at [Place] . the lines J (b.) I have no Post Office Savings-bank account or any other bank account, which do 1 (c.) My current account is with the Bank of at not apply. \(d.) I have an account with the private Savings-bank at j Main Body. Embarked on (date) : [If more than one embarkation, please specify] with] ( Reinforcements. Full postal address : Date: . Signature of applicant: Spaces below to be filkd in by Pay Office. Cause of discharge : Service Number of Days. From to Deductions (if any) : — From to _______ ________ Net total of days ... Less overpayments or debit balance in pay account (if any) Net amount payable ... ... ... ... ... > \

By Authority : Marcus F. Marks, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9l9.