Dec. 6.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 3169

CHAPTER XI.—PASSAGES.

260. Passages of Royal Naval Officers and their Families.—Imperial officers lent for service with the New Zealand Division will be granted a free passage to and from New Zealand unless proceeding by ship-of-war, except as provided for in paragraph 4. Flag Officers and Commodores are entitled to reserved accommodation (i.e., a single-berth cabin, or the exclusive use of a two-berth cabin) in accordance with the King’s Regulations and Admiralty Instructions, Article 834. All other officers will be provided with ordinary first-class accommodation. In the event of a Flag Officer or Commodore being accompanied by his wife the two-berth cabin authorized for the use of such officer shall be used also by the wife, and no additional provision for her accommodation will be made.

261. Officers travelling overseas on duty in such special cases as may be approved by the Naval Board may receive the passage-money and be allowed to make their own arrangements for passage, provided that, except where otherwise approved, such officers shall travel by the cheapest and most direct route. Where in exceptional circumstances approval to travel by another route is given at an officer’s own request the additional expense thus incurred must be borne by such officer. In every case shipping company’s first-class vouchers must be produced for the full sum advanced, and in all applications for passages the applicant is to state the route proposed to be taken, details of fares, names and ages of children, and the number of adults comprised in the party.

262. The Government of New Zealand offer free passages out and Home to wives and families of all Naval officers who are loaned for service under the New Zealand Government for a period of three years, or in the case of Captains, R.N., whom the Admiralty are unable to loan for the full period, two years.

263. Should an officer’s service in the New Zealand Naval Forces be terminated owing to his misconduct or unsatisfactory service, or should an officer voluntarily withdraw from service in the New Zealand Division, prior to the completion of the period for which lent, the Government do not hold themselves responsible for his return passage, nor for those of his wife and family.

264. Should private reasons necessitate the return of an officer’s wife and family prior to the completion of his period of service, passage-money will not, as a general rule, be paid until the completion of the officer’s service. A portion, however, may be advanced on application being made, the amount being dependent on length of service which the officer has already completed in the New Zealand Naval Forces. In urgent cases of ill-health, necessitating the earlier return of a wife or member of an officer’s family, on the production of satisfactory medical evidence in support of the application for return passages, the Naval Board may authorize the full payment of passage-money at the time the passages are ordered.

265. The term children is to be understood to include only such sons as are under sixteen at the date of the commencement of the passage, whether outward or homeward, and unmarried daughters dependent on and residing with their fathers. An exception to this rule will be permitted in the case of sons over sixteen years of age who, by reason of physical or mental infirmity, are necessarily dependent on their parents.

Passages of adopted children are not allowable except under special circumstances, with the approval of the Naval Board.

7. The Government do not accept any liability for the passage to the United Kingdom, or elsewhere, of the wife and family of an officer who has married during his period of service in the New Zealand Naval Forces.

8. Paragraph 2 of this article is, so far as applicable, to be regarded as governing also passages of wives and families of officers.

9. Passages of Ratings and their Families.—Ratings on loan to the New Zealand Division will be entitled to a free passage out and Home, unless proceeding by man-of-war. The right to a passage Home will, however, be forfeited by desertion, provided such deserter is not retained in the Naval Forces for more than six calendar months from the date of the expiration of any punishment that may be inflicted for such offence.

10. Men on loan whose periods of engagement in the Royal Navy will expire before the completion of their terms of service in the New Zealand Division may be granted free passages to New Zealand for their wives and families in lieu of free return freight passages for themselves.

11. Ratings who enter the New Zealand Division on loan and are later transferred permanently or allowed to enter into New Zealand engagements will not be entitled to free passages Home. There will, however,