STAFF RETRENCHED

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 38, 15 February 1919, Page 9

STAFF RETRENCHED

SOLDIERS' FINANCIAL ASSIST-

ANCE BOARD.

In the course of his address to the staff of the Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board yesterday the secretary, Mr. S. JWillis, in thanking the members for ther manner in which they had/ carried oub" their duties, explained the unpleasantness 'of the necessary retrenchment ofi : the staff. When accepting an appointment the clerks realised that the engagement was from day to day, and that. it would not come within the jurisdiction of the board to provide other employment. Despite the official position the board had, done its utmost to secure other appointments for retrenched officers, and had every reason to feel pleased with the result. Since the armistice, 78 clerks had been retrenched, and oE this number 44 were transferred to other; Government positions; 12 obtained employment with private firms; eight sol-? diers' wives resigned to rejoin their husbands, or on account of domestic circumstances. The services of six soldiers'' wives had been terminated, but these women had not previously been in employment. Of the remaining eight, One :was -an elderly gentleman, and ; seven; were unmarried women, who had probably already found employment, if required. The board had suffered a great deal of inconvenience by allowing offi-, cers to resign to take up other employment;- but had very firmly decided not to stand in the way of any officer, with the result that some had been released at very short notice. It could hardly be advanced, therefore, that the necessary retrenchment, had added, to the list of unemployed, a ■ result which was indeed., very gratifying, to all concerned. ... ..