MAJOR WORK OF NATION

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 14211, 9 November 1946, Page 5

MAJOR WORK OF NATION

FINDING JOBS FOR U.S. VETERANS Closer State Supervision Advised Concerted Effort Of People Desired America's community centres face a two-fold challenge this year to find suitable positions for some* 3,000,000 veterans soon to be job hunting, and of advising non-veter-ans, youth, and displaced war workers—Major General Graves B. Erskine, Retraining and Re-employ-ment Administrator, United States Department of Labour, believes. Already there are 2 50,000 disabled veterans who are having discouraging results in their search for jobs and need concerted effort on the part of business, industry, and the whole, community in regaining their self-supporting civilian status, the Marine Corps general told the Ceterans Service Centre's annual membership committee. During a brief press conference given before his talk before the members of. the service centre the General warned that in order to forestall further misuse of the veterans' on-the-job training programme by some unscrupulous employers closer state supervision must be maintained. *

By the end of this year, he said the Federal Government may havo to pay as much as 75,000,000 dollars per month to veteran on-the-job trainees.

The Marine Corps officer in strongly in favour of a law requiring use of federal funds to assure policing against employer racketeering in. the on-the-job training programme.

"Unless we have such a, law," ft* warned, "it is my belief that a ijrave situation will arise."

General Erskine said the entire responsibility for honestly administering this programme rests on the individual states and state agencies set up for this purpose ra'ther than the Federal Government agency.

The R. R. A. is merely a co-ord-inating agency, he added, and in the recommendations to Congress for amendments to the existing G. T. Bill of Rights "we have tried to set up a programme which will require that various'States comply with our standards and criteria and if thes? States are found not complying they should suffer loss of Federal aid."

Speaking of California, be told newsmen that this State is reported as having a fairly efficient system. Lcs Angeles, he said, has taken a great interest and has contributed greatly to the programme. He had high praise for the Veteran?' Service Centre here which he described as "tops" and an example to the community. In addressing the annual meeting General Erskine said that the community that is engi-ossed in its own reconversion and pays little attention to the ex-servicemen is a definite nroblem.

He told the members thai the veteran does not want to be pampered, but that he does ask for the opportunity to utilise his war-tested capacities for work and/ leadership in this peacetime world he dreamed about.

The General stressed the important role California is playing in the reconversion programme, with many veterans migrating to this State. Hp said that, a conservative estimate indicates that well over "300,000 veterans have migrated to California since the war, and that this veteran influx appears to be just beginning."