HELPING RETURNED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 171, 16 April 1942, Page 6

HELPING RETURNED SOLDIERS

Civil Re-establishment The view that the opportunity for greater .service consequent upon the operation of the Rehabilitation Act would be fully availed of by the league was expressed by the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, in addressing a special conference of the New Zealand Soldiers’ Civil Re-establishment league in Wellington yesterday. The league, he said, would come under the Rehabilitation Council and the Rehabilitation Board, and while that meant that be would relinquish his supervisory control, lie was sure that under the Minister of National Service, Mr. Semple, tlie league would receive all the consideration to which it was entitled. He knew, also, that the league would give Mr. Semple its loyal support. '•.Many of you have rich knowledge of the requirements of the ex-soldier, and we are fortunate on 'bis occasion in being able to make an early start on the problems of rehabilitation.” Mr. Jones continued. ''The sooner the exserviceman’s remaining economic capacity can be utilized, the better both for the man himself and the industry to which he applies himself.” The chairman of the council of the league. Mr. C, W. Batten, said that the Government had shown every evidence ot sincerity in furthering the league s work, and bail made an additional £5OO available to meet expenditure incurred m anticipation of the expanded programme. He stressed tlie importance of longterm planning of the leagues work. First, they must see that the organization would endure, with provision for rejuvenation by the younger men of the present war coming in and bringing tresh ener"v and enthusiasm to add to the experience of the past. Then there must be the immediate putting into practice of the policy of training those who suffered handicaps as a result of their ser''outlining tlie proposals for future action Mr. Batten said that already over 300(1 men had returned to New Zealand, and a great many of them would require assistance before they could be properly re-established m civil '■Ju every ease where a man has suffered a disability likely to be permanent we should aim at equipping him through I raining, not merely to become proficient in a new calling, but to become above average bv reason of specialized knowledge," be said. "We must see to it that new strength is given our ex-service-men to balance what they have lost, amt the more difficult any case seems,„ tnmore determined must be our eflurt. On the motion of the chairman. the conference decided that artificial howmaking should be undertaken by tlie ''mix B. W. Waters (Christchurch) said that the Government had let contracts for artificial limb-making, and it was considered that no country had better service in this respect than New Zealand Th- Government was prepared to estate li-li factories in the various centres lot limb-making, and lie held that this could be carried out by private enterprise at n cheaper rate than the league could do the work.