General, Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 21, 25 November - 31 December 1918 - Part 11

[For Prime Minister]

No. ?

Annexures : nil

13/12/18 ?

Subject :- Financial Policy regarding A.I.F. personnel

in non-military employment, while awaiting

embarkation. -

Annexures : nil

Remarks :- 1. Non-military employment covers all branches of

and grades of educational work whether purely

scholastic or technical or vocational, and all

branches of Industrial Work, whether on full or

on less than full Wages. -

A large props

All personnel for whom any such employment

can be found will be definitely withdrawn from

their military units,  and separately administered

2. The term "non-military employment" is not

however used to include personnel remaining under

pure military administration & receiving education, in some form, as part of the normal

activities of a military Unit in the field or in a depot,

and which may be for whom educational facilities, within the

Unit or Formation, have been or are being, provided.

Such personnel continues, as heretofore, to be quartered,

fed & clothed by the State, & no questions of

Special maintenance or subsistence allowances

will arise. -

3. There will, however, be a considerable personnel

for whom employment of the nature outlined in

para 1. can be found, chiefly in United kingdom;

and all such men will have to be definitely withdrawn

from Units in the field or in depots, and

separately administered. - In a very large number

of such cases, the State will be relieved of the

addition, such subsistence allowance, being in no case

less than 28/- per week, as the Director General may decide is

suitable to his 'employment', circumstances & condition. -

(4) Working clothes, and tools of trade to be provided by the

State, the soldier being responsible for their return to Ordinance

at termination of his 'employment'. -

(5) Scholarships gained to remain the property of the Student.

(6) The question of payment by the State of University fees to be decided

in xx each individual case after careful investigation by

the Director of Education. -

(7) Men who, from any cause, not the other than their own default, of the soldier fall out of employment are to receive subsistence as per

paras (2) & (30 for 14 days. Thereafter, if no such men must report

to a depot camp where he they will be maintained by the State without subsistence allowance

until fresh 'employment' is can be found for them. -

(8) All such personnel to be medically & dentally administered 

as soldiers in the normal way; and to receive the

usual issues of underclothing, boots & necessaries, on the

usual military terms. -

Lt.Gen.

Decision &c &c.

 

 

[For Prime Minister

- usual style]

18/12/18

No. ?

Subject :- Authority for Expenditure, and Accounting Procedure

Annexure :- 1. Minute by Chief Paymaster A.I.F. of 11/12/18

Remarks :- The work of Repatriation & Demobilization will require

considerable expenditure, in order to carry out the objects & policies

already laid down, & to be developed. -

I am prepared to accept the responsibilities of Authorizing

Officer. -

In report to the general military expenditure abroad overseas, it

has not hitherto been the custom to submit - before disbursement -

estimates of contemplated expenditure; but to depend

upon the continuous supervision of the Pay and Audit

Staffs, to ensure both the correct application of State

expenditure, and due care and economy.

In view of the nature of the activities of this Department,

which may grow to unexpected proportions, or may,

per contra, remain on a very restricted scale, any attempt

to forecast expenditure would be both futile and

misleading.

Naturally, any undertaking involving large commitments,

such, for example, as the establishment of one or

more Government factories, would be the subject of special

submission to the Minister, before any expenditure is

incurred. -

The annexed minute of the Chief paymaster indicates

in para 5 the nature of the expenditure likely to be required,

and sets out the method of procedure proposed to be

adopted.

It is, in effect, now proposed merely to adapt

 

 

existing methods to the new needs, the Director General

of Repatriation & Demobilization being merely substituted

for the Administrative Commandant as the "Authorizing

Officer" of all Repatriation & Demobilization Expenditure

incurred by the A.I.F. overseas.  -

 

Recommendation

That the proposals of the Chief Paymaster in his

Minute para 6 be approved, and that Authority

as "Authorizing Officer" be granted to me in the

manual covered by this Minute.

 

Lt Gen

do   do

Decision &c &c

 

 

obligation of quartering & feeding them, and this may be

estimated to involve a saving to the State of, average, 3

three shillings per head per day. -

4. The question now to be decided is the basis upon which

such men should be paid; it being remembered that

non-military employment must be made sufficiently

attractive to induce men cheerfully to seek opportunities

to better themselves; and the policy showed to be a generous

one, to compensate the men, in a measure, for the sacrifices

which they have made. -

5. The soldiers in question may be classified thus :-

(1) Those earning full wages

(2) Those earning less than full wages

(3) Those earning no wages.

(4) Those temporarily out of work.

 

Recommendation

That the following should be the general basis upon which

A.I.F. personnel in non-military employment should be dealt

with :-

(1) Every man to be entitled to retain for himself all salary, wages or

other earnings which he is able to command in trade, commerce

or industry, and to receive, in addition, the full military

pay of his rank; his 'allotment' and 'deferred pay' to continue

normally. - The State will save 3/- per head per

day for the quartering & feeding of such men. -

(2) In all cases where the salary, wages &c so earned

are less than 28/- per week, he is to receive a subsistence

allowance which, together with his earnings, if any,

will ensure his having a total of 28/- per week, over and

above such military pay as he is entitled to draw under

para (1)

(3)

In cases where the soldier can earn no salary or

wages, he is to receive his full military pay, and, in

 

[Draft only]    6 copies. -

General Instructions No. ?

[date 18/14/18/18

ready for typiste

drafted 12th14/12/18

1. The order of the return repatriation of the troops of any given Unit of the A.I.F

will be regulated partly by the personal circumstances of each man

and partly by the principle of keeping repatriating, together ∧ in the same embarkation quota, as many men of the

unit, ∧ at the same time, as circumstances permit. -

→Here insert (as para 2.-) para N^o. 15 & remember those that follow. 

2. For this purpose Every Unit Commander must take the responsibilitity

will have the task of deciding a definite the order of priority ∧ precedence of repatriation for every ∧ individual man under his

command, in accordance with definite principles which have been

laid down approved by the commonwealth Government., and ∧ which are explained

hereunder.

3. Where the Unit forms part of a Division, the Divisional Commander

will make arrangements to have this exercise of this responsibility

by the C.O's work carefully supervised and coordinated,

and will provide a tribunal to hear and decide upon any

grievance appeal against the C.O's decision that may be brought forward. - It is anticipated

that a number of Units of the A.I.F., at present not forming

part of a Division will be attached to one or other of the Divisions

for repatriation purposes.- and will come under the jurisdiction of the Divisions

Commander for this purpose clarification procedure. supervision

4. A "Unit" for the purposes for these instructions will be:-

A Regiment of Light Horse.

A Brigade of Field or Heavy Artillery.

A Company of Engineers, x Signal Engineers or Tunnellers

A Battalion of Infantry, Pioneers ∧ Macnine Guns or Cyclists

A Divisional Train

A Field Ambulance.

All other ∧ detached Units. under a Single Command [?]

5. It is to must be clearly understood by explained to all ranks throughout the A.I.F.

that any officer or man all personnel any officer or soldier of whatever rank required "for duty" must continue to

serve whether in Europe Asia or Australia or elsewhere until that duty is completed their his services are no longer

required or until he can be released whether even though he may under these rules be have become entitled

to repatriation and discharge in priority of others who have been embarked are repatriated 

before him. -  Such "duty" personnel will comprise the be of the

following natures:-

 

(a) Unit Cadres - who must remain with their Units to the last in order to close up the its

affairs. of the Unit.

(b) "Demobliges", i.e. personnel employed in connection with the

demobilization, such as Staffs of the Demobilization Service, ordinance duties, caretakers

of animals or equipment, & embarkation duties

and the like.

6. In addition, it is hoped anticipated that, in course of time, a large numbers

of the personnel will apply to be withdrawn, (in some case

temporarily, in others permanently), from Units, for the purpose of

educational or industrial employment in United Kingdom, or elsewhere. - Such withdrawal

will, in many cases, involve as a condition of benefits to be granted, the giving up of priority precedence rights by the

man concerned would either for a stated term, or until the completion

of such employment; but no man such man soldier will for this purpose alone be expected to 

forfeit such his priority precedence without his own consent. -

7. The postponement of repatriation of the remainder any personnel

coming under the provisions of the last preceding two paras. will

not affect the order of priority of the remainder precedence of the personnel of the Unit, as among

themselves, of the remainder of the Unit. -

8. Any officer or man may also be permitted with the approval of the C.O. to forfeit his place in

the order of priority precedence on sentimental grounds, or satisfactory grounds

and, - as, for example for family reasons or, if he should desires

to embark together in company with a relative or comrade in a lower place

in a later place at a later date. - But under no circumstances will any

one soldier be granted permitted to apply for or receive an earlier place than that originally to be allotted under these rules except as

the result of  by way of means of a special application for "Early Repatriation"

under the special provisions of " General Instructions, para ? X

9. Every Commanding Officer will forthwith undertake the preparation

within his Unit, of a Repatriation Precedence List Roll, in which

every soldier on the strength of his Unit, or 'attached', must be

accounted for. - Detailed instructions for the preparation of

 

Introduce 'list' earlier; describe method of drawing quota.

 

 

such Roll are contained in Annexure ? hereto. -

10. All such Rolls, in all Units of the A.I.F., must be got ready for use ready prepared

at an early date, so that every Commanding Officer will may have

ready to his hand, as soon as possible, the necessary documentary

material to assist him to supply, for immediate embarkation,

any prescribed quota of officers & other ranks, in their correct

order of precedence. - For example, if when an Infantry Battalion

is called upon to supply aa quota of, say, 200 men to

entrain proceed to an embarkation station, the 200 men

sent will be the first 200 names remaining on the 'Repatriation 

Precedence Roll' on the Roll after previous quotas already sent,

and after excluding those men who :-

(a) are marked for 'duty'

or (b) have been withdrawn from the Unit for non-military employment

or (c) who have voluntarily or through misconduct forfeited

their places in the order of precedence. -

or (d) who for any other legitimate reason are not available to

be included in that quota.

11. As the personnel of every Unit will in course of time be liable subject to many changes

due to evacuations striking off, men joining or rejoining, transfers & the like, these

Repatriation Precedence Rolls must be constantly kept corrected

up to date, by making the necessary entries additions or erasures excisions; but

the Rolls as a whole should be periodically entirely rewritten

in their latest amended form, & kept ready for immediate

use. - 

12. There is no present intention to require Commanding Officers to

furnish copies of these rolls to representatives of this Department,

or any of its Branches or Liaisons; but it may be found

necessary, hereafter, to call for such copies from time to time. -

C.O's should therefore keep on hand a spare supply of the

necessary forms. -

 

 

13. - The basis for deciding priority precedence of Repatriation will, subject to

the foregoing provisos, be as follows :-

First Classification Criterion - Length of Service in the A.I.F.

Second Criterion - Marital Cond. Family Responsibilities. -

Third Criterion - Prospects of immediate employment. -

The detailed method of classifying the personnel of each Unit

is fully described explained in the Annexure hereto. -

14. - All personnel who required to be earmarked for 'duty', either for 'Cadres' or for

'Demobilizers' should, other things being equal, be drawn,

whenever practicable, from men not listed for Repatr entitled,

under this policy, to an early place in the Roll, or not likely

to receive the benefits of 'Early Repatriation' under the provisions

of General Instructions para ? This proviso is intended

to obviate hardship to individuals, and because as it is thought considered that there

will be an sufficient ample supply of men suitable for 'duty' among those whose

repatriation on grounds men can be delayed without hardships.

does not need not, in their own interests, to be accelerated. -

15. The order in which Units of the A.I.F. will be drawn upon to

supply these quotas for embarkation has not yet been cannot yet be decided, and

it may not may prove impossible to give long notice of same, as because decisions

in these matters may depend upon the geographical location at the time both

of the Unit, & of the particular port embarkation & direct or ports xxx, and whether

in France, Egypt or United Kingdom & also of the port of disembarkation in Australia - But, in order that as

many men of any given Unit as possible may embark together,

the quotas called up for embarkation will usually be sufficiently

large to include at least all the men of the Unit of the same years'

enlistment. -

16. The decisions embodied in these Instructions need should not be treated

as confidential. it will be advantageous to allow all ranks to

know and understand the rules which will govern the order of their return to

Australia, and thus misunderstandings and grievances

based upon misunderstandings will be minimized. -

 

17. Commanding Officers should make every effort to keep

together such organizations as Bands, Concert Parties & the

like, & while paying due regard to the needs & claims of individual

members of such organizations for an early place on the list

of precedence, will, where possible, arrange for them to be included

as a body in an embarkation quota, so that their services

may be at the disposal of their comrades shipmates during the sea

voyage. -

18. Any Questions as regarding which may arise regarding the preparation 

of these Rolls & any matters which have not been foreseen provided for in these

Instructions may be referred through the usual A.I.F. channels

to this Department for decision & further instructions.