WORK OR PENSIONS?

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 223, 20 September 1929, Page 5

WORK OR PENSIONS?

I DISABLED SOLDIERS' NEEDS. COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION'S VIEWS. The Government's proposals to devise means of providing training and work for partially disabled ex-soldiers, to enable them to do without the economic pension, was the subject of a special report presented yesterday at the quarterly meeting of the executive of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association. It_ was -agreed to co-operate .in investigating the problem, but several members pointed out that the work would have to be very carefully handled.

"It is understood," stated the report, "that the underlying purpose of this inquiry is to consider the advisability of rescinding economic pensions and in lieu thereof establishing an institution or institutions, where ex-service luen may receive suitable help to employment and training; possibly it may go the length of considering the question ot agricultural training.

"This raises no new question. _ Such a policy was in force during and immediately following the war period; subsequently, owing to conditions that arose and difficulties that were encountered, it was discontinued. There are difficulties in the way of any practical scheme; anything of such a character will take us hack to the work of the Repatriation Department under subsidies with employers and the of separate workshop units in various trades and occupations. However, if your committee can assist the investigation in any way and contribute anything of value towards the settlement of this admittedly difficult problem, it will do so." . . Sir James Gunson, the chairman, saiu the idea appeared to involve a reversion to the training and repatriation work which was carried out during the latei years of the war and for some time afterwards. ' Mr. E. J. Phelan remarked that there were many complexities in the scheme, which would have to be very carefully handled. If special workshops or institutions were set up there might possibly be interference with private enterprise. Agreeing that the scheme would require the fullest investigation, Mr. A. G. Lunn said the economic pension had it's drawbacks, besides being inadequate for the needs of many married men with families.