R.S.A. CRITICISM.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XXIV, Issue 4123, 15 November 1919, Page 3

R.S.A. CRITICISM.

MINISTER SETS OUT BOARD'S POLICY.

In August last a deputation from the New Zealand executive waited upon members of Cabinet in reference to repatriation affairs, and a full reply was promised to the B.S.A. .Tequests. At a recent meeting of * the Dominion executive of the N.Z.B.S.A. a resolution, was pdssed commenting upon the delay of j the Ministers concerned in with the points raised, and lengthy correspondence has since passed between the E.S.A. arid the chairman of th« Bepatriation Board. In. the course of, his reply, the Hon. W. H. Herries denied that the B.S.A. executive had been ignored, explaining that the matters referred to had required time for consideration and necessary enquiries. The letter sets out the board's replies to the various questions raised as follows:— j (1 The board is of opinion that direct action to terminate the employ- \ ment of women who have taken up appointments during the war is not ne :essary, desirable or practicable.. The esi perience of the officers of th^ Bepatriation Department all goes to show that on the whole employers in the Dominion are honourably fulfilling their obi! gations with respect to their soldier employees. All Government departments are giving preference of employment to discharged soldiers, wherever possible. (2) The board, after full enquiry, does not consider it necessary or desirable to increase the unemployment sustenance allowance as suggested.-^t has to be clearly remembered that ie is a sustenance grant during unemployment only and is in no sense a wage. If ere, again, experience has shown that there is very little recourse to this form^of ! financial assistance.

(3) The board is unable to recommend the' Government to increase' the maximum sum of loan for business purposes to £500. I would point out that

this assistance is intended to help with small businesses. It is obviously impossible for the Department to finance large concerns. Already the board has approved of loans to 1890 discharged, soldiers, aggregating an advance of £427,824. An examination of these loans shows that between 65" per cent and 70 per cent of tl\em are for less than the present maximum of £300, thus showing that in the majority of eases the present maximum is sufficient for the soldiers' requirements. I think your association will agree that if the limit was raised to £500, the latter! amount would still be inadequate in some cases, and that 'other arrangements for extra finance would still have to be made. In view of tiio heavy financial risk involved in these advances there must be some limit, and the board thinks, and experience proves, that the present maximum is a fair and reasonable one. I may point out that Australia is the only other country that makes provision for loans for businesses for discharged soldiers and that its maximum advance is £150 in ordinary cases and £250 in special cases. (4) Tke request that all applications for the purchase of urban and suburban properties should be dealt with by the Repatriation Department has been referred for the consideration of the Hon. Minister of Lands, who desires to take the fullest advantage of the organisation of the Repatriation Department in connexion with the purchase of, dwellings for soldiers. (5) The board is of opinion, a? the re-sultof-its enquiries and of the experience or the department, that the present loan of £50 free of interest for the purchase of furniture is sufficient to meet the urgent needs of so idlers. (6) The board has already approved of sustenances being paid to any dependant of a soldier who has established pre-war dependency and thus qualified for and received a separation allowance payable by the Defence Department to soldiers during service with the N.Z.E.F. By an amendment introduced this session into the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Amendment Bill, which has now passed both Houses of Parliament, the term '' discharged soldier in the, Repatriation Act has been exj^nded to include the widowed mother of a deceased soldier. (7) In view of the experience of the last nine months the board sees no reason whatever tojrecommend any change in the present system of eonjtrol of the

Expatriation Department. On the contrary the undoubted success of the administration is a strong argument in favour of continuing the present con. trol. You are no doubt aware that two returned soldiers are now members of the Ministerial Boa*d of Control.