REHABILITATION WORK

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24270, 30 May 1944, Page 3

REHABILITATION WORK

SCHEME OF FIRST PRIORITY MEN FROM FIGHTING ZONES "The Press’ - Special Service AUCKLAND. May 29. A decision by the Rehabilitation Board to give first priority to men who have had service in’ any of the fighting zones is announced in a statement from the Minister of Rehabilitation, the Hon. C. F. Skinner. No distinction is being made as - .to the actual theatre of war, and men who took part in operations in the Pacific area will receive the same treatment, on discharge, as men from any other operational zone. The Minister said that for the various drafts which have returned from garrison duty in the Pacific financial assistance for homes and farms was available tfs a first priority to any men who were married before they left New Zealand and were absent for 12 months or more. The necessity for classifying servicemen was explained by the Minister. The board, he said, recognised the right of all men who had served overseas to be considered for assistance. Owing to the practical problem of locating sufficient suitable rural and urban properties and the obvious fact that every returned serviceman could not enter business on his own account, the board had been forced, for the present at any rate, to classify returned servicemen and indicate which it was prepared to assist immediately, purely on the basis of service, and which would require to be deferred until the first group could be disposed of. This decision was dictated by the effect of the war effort on national material and manpower resources. The prosecution of the war was still the country’s first responsibility and until material and other resources could be diverted from war needs some system of priorities was necessary in considering applications for financial assistance to returned servicemen. It was hoped that at no distant date conditions would improve sufficiently to enable preferences to be extended.