RETURNED SOLDIERS' NEEDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 211, 4 September 1917, Page 7

RETURNED SOLDIERS' NEEDS.

sgrTl _ a _ENT ON THE LAND.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS

(By Telegraph-—Press Association.)

■vTHLIJNGTON, Monday.

1 £ e pntanon from tho Xew Zealand Jiimed Soldiers' Association waited on __S Minister, the Right Hon. W. F. vlev Sir Joseph Ward. Sir James Sat aid the Hon. A. L. Herdman tor" t ' D place before them matters aflect- •' the interests of the men who have «3 at the front and been returned to _TDomhiion. Captain Pitt urged that _c question of settling returned soldiers the land be taken in hand immediSjr 'otherwise the position would beserious. He emphasised the fact rtat the deputation represented the y_jj of the returned soldiers of New S_ Members of the deputation adthe appointment oi a to deal only with the affairs of returned !___, tie establishment of a scheme ..'repatriation, additional representation ,' j_ e Pensions Board, an increased -jn't for settling soldiers on the land. Sfitablishment'cf a central committee tnadminister patriotic funds, an increase ti dotting allowance, and the establishgat ™ different centres of branches of t_ Discharged Soldier.-' Information DeMrtment. Complaint was made that w_ who had not seen the firing line JSIS appointed to position? in England instead oi men who had seen active sernce, men who enlisted two years after war commenced being promoted over the _____ of men who had joined the forces rien the war commenced.

lie Prime Minister, in reply, stated j {iatthe Government was anxious to rejies, as far as possible, the grievances (jreturaed soldiers. As to a department | oi "repatriation " that had beeu men- | Honed, the Department of which Mr. j Heriman was in charge had been particu. ! jj-Iv successful in finding employment for i :chirnecl soldiers, and if it was found I UMBsary to extend the Department's I nnctions he thought the Government : ttould he prepared to meet the proposat. I lie fact that four Ministers of the i Crown were there to meet tiie deputation : showed that the Government was j jicdous to do what it could for the -re- j taied soldiers. As to soldiers and I settlement on land, an Act to provide for j Jnaacial assistance was to be brought I down this session, but the Government 1 tould not promise that the £750 grant j would apply to every case. Mr. Massey suggested that the Government should be lib to place returned soldiers in homes on tie same terms as were now in operation in connection with workers' homes. Blocks of land could be purchased for the purpose, and he believed the scheme could te made a success. Sir Joseph Ward said that he. along with tie other members of the Govern- j ment, was anxious to do all that was possible for returned soldiers. Sir James Allen, speaking on the subject of repatriation, said he believed that tie problem changed from day to day. and ie thought it would be wise for the | executive to have a private discussion i with- the Ministers. A great deal of educative work was being done iv England in regard to returned soldiers, and it was quite possible that many men would come hack with very valuable aperienee. How that experience had j jet to he developed remained to be couBideiei He would be glad, if possible, to 1 iare a medical man on the Pensions i Board, who would represent the returned { soldiers. - Men on furlough would.) generally speaking, retain their senior- i ity. In regard to promotions. .Sir James j aid that the proportion of eommissfions to the men who returned had been con- I aderably increased. Territorial officers | had been warned that they must go ! through a course of training, and some , of them might have to revert to the , ranks. There was a large number of men ' tt the oiucers' training camp in England. ; hut he did not think it would be a jtood thing for the Xew Zealand non-eommis-Roned officers to be .shut out of the postibilities oi a eomniist-ion. It was not quite right to shut the door on the man vho had not been to the front. The Hon. A. L. Herdman said that the Discharged Soldiers' Department was fairly complete throughout New Zealand. The work done wa* remarkable, but he Mggested that the branches might work il with the Returned Soldiers' Association. The Discharges! Soldiers' Information Department had found employment for many men, and only about 160 were jjow seeking work. .Much of the work. however, was of a temporary character, >nd he urged that discharged soldiers «hoals seek to learn a trade, which would Slake them practically independent, 'acuities to that end were provided at technical colleges, ami some 50 or 00 ■aen were now engaged in that way, and *ere being paid .£1 per week while "ndergoing training. He was in favour M making use of the existing institutions rather than spending a large sum wmoney on establishing a huge technical ■•stitution at one central point.