REPATRIATION

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 33, 7 August 1918, Page 8

REPATRIATION

DEFENCE COMMISSION'S VIEW.

On the subject of repatriation the report of the Defence Commission has a brief but very interesting comment:— "Military life is very unsettling, especially to the amateur, and, as in previous wars, great difficulty will be experienced in getting many of the men returning to settle down. It therefore seems unkind in the returned soldiers' best .interests to' pamper them, and thereby loosen the fibre of some, and transform gallant, efficient fellows into dependents. The kindest thing would seem to be to return all possible, without { delay, into the walks of life they previously followed. Too much so-called kindness and consideration simply prolong, and ultimately make permanent, their • restlessness.. "Some men, encouraged by the adulation accorded them on their return from the war by an appreciative public, come to think that, having been at the front, the country should keep them and their families for the rest of their lives. This erroneous idea should be corrected, and the sooner such an impression is removed the better for the soldier and the community. "A popular cry is to put returned . soldiers on farms; but, before putting men on the land, their fitness for that work, should be thoroughly tested. Pre.sent agricultural schools could be used and,' if .necessary, others established to first train or test soldiers, as disaster is invited by putting unsuitable men on the land. Even after twelve months at an agricultural college many 'men would not acquire sufficient knowledge, but less than that period would suffice to show whether a man has aptitude and persistence enough to succeed. Of cpurse, all men who have been trained on the land should be encouraged to return to it. The whole matter calls for careful and expert thought, combined with infinite patience. Land acquired at ruling prices and stocked with cattle at current market rates will present a sufficiently difficult proposition to the beginner, even experienced."