DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2557, 3 September 1915, Page 8

DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

THE NEW DEPARTMENT

WORKING OF THE SCHEME ! j i ( KEEPING TRACK OF THE MEN j i The Attorney-General, to whom has been assigned tho task of looking after' the interests of soldiers on their return from tho war. has his preliminary arrangements fairly /well in hand now. In, response to a request for information about his now Department yesterday, Mr. Herdman made the following statement: — _ • • • "To begin with ib should be distinctly understood that the new Department has nothing whatever to do with tho soldier who comes back to New Zealand until he has' been discharged by. the Dofenco Department. There must be no misapprehension about this. ' The Defence authorities and the Public Health Department are the custodians of tlm roturned soldier until he gets his formal official release from the Army. At- this point, when the man has ceased to bo a soldier a.nd has Become a civilian, tho new Department will come in,_ and .-it will thou bocomo the duty of its officers to take change of every soldier who may requiro help to get employment or who may want information which may be of assistance to him. The Department will endeavour to make certain that no discharged soldier suffers through want of The instructions are that no man is to be missed. Preparation of a Register. "Thanks to ..the valuable help wo are receiving from some of the older officers of tlio Government Insurance Department who havo volunteered to devoto a portion of their spare timo to the requirements of the Government outside their own Department,.our-pre-liminary plans aro rapidly developing. An. offico called the Discharged Soldiers' Inquiry Office.has beeir opened in Aitken Street, and Mr. Samson, of tho Government Life Insurance Department, has betfn appointed to manage it. He will be assisted in th'e preliminary stages by a record clerk and typiste. lietur'ned soldiers in need of advice or help should communicato with the office, and persons who are able to offer enfployment of any 1-ind to 6oldicrs who have returned to Nov/ Zealand will render an' immense service to the office if they wi l send particulars of any work avaiinble to Mr. Samson. Having established a. base in Atiken .Street we aro now attempting to prepare a complete register, of the men who have returned from earvico abroad. - As the Defenco authorities do not appear to have a record of all the men who .have returncd up to date by various boats, ;ve will'have some difficulty in preparniK accurate 'register of returned soldiers now in New Zealand. But -the Returned Soldiers Department will take steps'to ensure that a full and accurate'list of all men who return in tho future, will be compiled, with all' necessary information. about every man. We propose to visit the returning shins and to comolete our records before the soldier lands. ■ The Task to be Done. In the course of time we hope to have the following card registers in the office: — . 1.. A register of all men who left New Zealand with the Expeditionary Forces since tho .outbreak of war. 2. A register of soldiers who havo returned. • 3. A. register of returned men who have been assisted, and with whom the Department has. finished. It will be seen that when these registers are completed tho offico machinery will'-go .'through the following evolutions when a soldier arrives in New Zealand. His/card will be looked up in Register (1); it will he transferred to Register No. (2), and it will remain there . until employment is found for hiny or until ho receives appropriate assistance. Then, our duty , to the maii having ended, the card ■ will be transferred to Register No. (31. In addition to the registers mentioned above we will of course be in possession of a proper record of all . offers of employment or assistance that are made by persons who desire to help the returned soldier. , On Arrival. "Although our duty , to the man dpes not commence until his career as a soldier is ended by his-'discharge, the Department will endeavour to keep in touch with him after his arrival, but without in any way trenching upon the provinces of the Defence Department or tho Public Health Department. We propose to hand to each soldier upon his return a, printed card, apprising him of the existence of the Returned Soldiers' Department, and informing him that if ho wants help, he should apply to-Mr.' Samson, and that he should keep the Department informed of his movements. It is also settled that each man shall prior to or immediately after his' discharge from the army be interviewed by a public officer, who will be instructed to make a report in a form provided for that purpose, and who will hand to 1 each man a card informing him of the existence of the Department. If the soldier does not require the Department's assistance, he will be'asked to sign a-statement to that effect, and then we will know where we stand with him, ' Outside Help. "It will be readily recognised that the Returned Soldiers' Department will never be able to attain to a high degree of usefulness unless it enlists help from outside. Wo haw already made arrangements with tho Registrar of War Pensions to; obtain from his offico particulars of all cases dealt with by the Pensions Board. From this source vve should.be able to get accurate evidence as to a nian's means and the nature of his disability. Then, , o.gain, legislation has been introduced'which, if passed into law, will make it incumbent upon persons controlling war funds to notify the Department of the' nature of any assistance given to men who have returned. It is obviously very necessary that this information should be'supplied to tho new Department. Further, the Labour Department has been approached for help, and the permanent head, Mr. Rowley, has expressed himself as being more than anxious to placo the whole strength of his organisation at tho service of" our Department. It appears to me to be certain that the main part of the burden of actually finding suitable work for returned men will, in course of time, devolve upon the Labour Department. If, as the work of tho Department develops, it is found advisable, a central committee in Wellington may bo established to assist the Department to solve any difficult problems which ni.iv arise. Upon this committee I should like to have gentlemen closely connected with State employment; for-instance, the Public Servico Commissioner, tho head of tho Labour Department, representatives of tho Railway Department, and the Public Works Department, tho Mayor of the City, tho chairman of the Harbour Board, and some gentlemen outside of the Government service who have already taken an active'interest in movements which are intended to ameliorate the condiditioiis of the returned soldier. Partially Disabled Even now one can see that, many interesting and difficult questions will i come ui* for solution. An estraot fron^,

a report by n committee set up by the Imperial Government (which I also give you) siilliciontly indicates, the nature of tho cases which the Returned Soldiers' Department will bo required', to deal with as times goes. oil. _ It is certain that many men will require surgical appliances and the best available orthopaedic assistance and advice will have to be obtained. It is certain, too, that it will be'necessary in the case or men prevented by injury from following their former calling to touch them some new industry. Here wo would invoke the help of the head of the Technical Education Branch and the principals of technical schools, and 1 have no doubt but that wo shall be able to secure their assistance. "Wo propose to ask the Mayors of towns, chairmen of local bodies, trustees of patriotic organisations, tho Board of .Agriculture, Presidents of Chambers.of Commerce, and the general public to help tho Dopartment. with ita work, and the assistance asked for will bo given gladly, I am sure. No doubt as tho sehomo materialises wo will find at expedient, to appoint local committees in different centres to directly look after the men residing in these centres, and through. tho Department, or directly, those committees can be supplied from timo to time with statements containing tlio names of, men requiring employment and describing tlie nature of the employment which each man dosires to. obtain. Settling Men on the Land. "A proposal lia.s been made that returned soldiers should bo settled on'the land. I hope that a practicable scheme can bo devised, but I must confess that the proposal appears to me to he beset with dilficulties. If a soldier has been trained as a farmer, and has capital of his own, arrangements can oasily be made to provide for him. But if a Goldier knows nothing about farming and has lio'capital to expend on fencing, clearing, and stocking his land, what is to be done in his case? Is tho State to teach him tko rudiments of farming, and is it to supply him with the i wherewithal to make, a start? These are questions which will liavo to be settled. Fruit farming and poultry farming- have been suggested as occupations likely to suit disabled men." It is true "that the disabled men. will bo receiving pensions, and may bo able to exist upon their pensions income until tho frut trees and poultry havo reached a revenue-producing point, but the scheme is by no means an easy one to carry out. • It means securing suitable areas of land. . v , It means finding money for fencing, planting trees, and stocking.' poultry farms, and it means instructing tho .nien in their new occupations. I hope that tho Board of .Agriculture will focus its attention upon this phase of the roturned soldier problem arid givo tho Department the benefit of its experience and advice. Tha Broken Men. "The Department will not havo muchdifficulty in finding • employment for soldiers who return, to this country sound and well. Many of these men will not require any hel.v from thooffice. Our principal work will centre in the men who''return to New Zealand maimed and permanently broken down in,health. It will be tho duty of the Department to make a special study of these, last-mentioned cases, and with the advice', and assistance which it will be in a position to command it hopes to make cortain. that every man who has suffered through serving his country will live for the rest of. his days in comfort, and tfiat lie will bo made; as useful a member of society as his disability wilL allow.