REPATRIATION THEFTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 131, 4 June 1923, Page 3

REPATRIATION THEFTS.

MESTIiSTER'S RE-MARKS RESETTED. Considerable resentment is felt among returned soldiers at the inference contained in the remarks of Sir • William Fraser that special precautions "were taken against theft by tho returned soldiers in the district board offices. An ex-repatriation office man, who met a "Star" representative to-day, stated very warmly that if the civilians in the head office did their work it was their job to detect frauds, as they had special information for that very purpoee, while the district boards were concerned in helping returned soldiers generally. Explaining the system, he said there was a head office in Wellington with a staff of civilians, and four district offices with a staff o.f returned soldiers. All loans in the first place were dealt with by the district iboarda. Immediately after the district board met full particulars of all loans granted or approved were sent to the head office. j The head office held the names and particulars of all returned soldiers, and that made it possible for the office to check all loane granted by the district offices, which made fraud absolutely impossible if the civilians at the head office, assisted as they were by two members of the Audit 'Department, did their job. The accounts at the district offices were monthly accounts, and full details of them were sent to the head office at the end of each month. The temporary staffs were certainly returned soldiers, and the usual commercial practice, of demanding fidelity bonds to ensure against loss 'by theft was followed, and no doubt it was followed also with the civilian staff at headquarters with officers who were regularly handling money. The officers in the head office were far better paid than were the temporary men, and when the repatriation work was finished they were retained in work, while the returned soldiers were fired. Under the circumstances it was unfair and unnecessary to infer that the soldiers required 6pecial watching.