REPATRIATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9476, 13 December 1918, Page 5

REPATRIATION.

PRELIMINARY ftfEETGMGS.

WELLINGTON. December 12

The .Repatriation Board has held only preliminary meetings yet. It lms boon decided, however—although the official announcement is not 'yet made -—that the .Director of .Repatriation is to be Mr J. It. Samson, at prese-nt head of the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department, and that the secretary of the Board is to be Mr J. I). Grey, who lias been secretary to the Recruiting Board.

_ The Defence Department will, in fact, do most of the work of repatriating tho soMiers, and everything" except making provision for their re-entry into civil life. The plan is that alf discharge papers' for every man will' be prepared on the ship, <io that when a vessel berths the fit men of the troops on board, will be free to walk ashore. For this work, specially trained stall's will be necessary to deal with records on the ship, and. these staffs will; be brained at Homo. As the men 1 will bo rushed out here, in large numbers very soon, it is"possible'that no staffs will be ready, to undertake the work on the earlier ships, and for these ships tiiw old practice' will have to be followed.'