REPATRIATION

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 37, 12 February 1920, Page 11

REPATRIATION

RCIPROCITY WANTED. SYDNEY OFFICIAL'S OPINION. A visitor to Auckland just now is Mr. M. B. Mergentheim, honorary secretary of the Sydney Metropolitan Repatriation Committee. Mr. Mergentheim has come to New Zealand principally for a rest, as his health has suffered through the strain of five years' continuous war work. However, he proposes to inquire into repatriation methods here, and with that object has brought over full credentials from Mr. E. D. Millen (Commonwealth Minister of Repatriation).

Speaking to a reporter, the visitor said that he was particularly anxious to see whether some reciprocal arrangement could not be made between the Australian and New Zealand Governments whereby ex-soldiers crossing the Tasman either way might continue to receive repatriation benefits, which at present they had to forfeit. "A great many New Zealanders have come over to Australia lately," he added, "and a lot of our boys are in New Zealand. I have seen a number of them here. Then there are many New Zealanders who enlisted in our Forces, and vice versa. I think it ought to be possible to make some arrangement between the two countries so that these boys can be looked after."

Asked about repatriation in Australia, Mr. Mergentheim said that the work was following much the same lines as in New Zealand, though at present come of the monetary benefits were not on so liberal a scale. The work had not progressed so steadily as it had here, but it was now on an enormous scale, requiring hundreds of clerks, inspectors and administrative officials. The organisation was a Federal one, and worked under a Federal Act. Land settlement, however, was in the hands of the State Governments. As in New Zealand, local administrative boards had been formed, with minor boards Tinder them, and a consultative body in Melbourne helped to direct the whole. Repatriation was a very political matter in Australia, and had been a prominent matter in the last Federal election campaign. This was rather a disadvantage, as it interfered with administration on non-political business lines. In particular, Labour objected to the expenditure of repatriation money on the purchase of existing dwellings, atd wanted new homes built. A great deal had been done in this way, but it was impossible to get enough timber for the work, though inquiries had been made all over the world, even so far away as Sweden. As a result numbers of soldiers and their families could not get houses, and were living as best" they could. It seemed to him, said Mr. Mergentlieim, that the plan of buying houses and improved farms for soldiers had done a great deaJ to inflate land prices in New Zealand. That was its chief drawback.