A SPECIAL CLAIM

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 74, 29 March 1922, Page 8

A SPECIAL CLAIM

DISABLED SOLDIERS

WORK SHOULD BE PROVIDED

TO SUPPLEMENT PENSIONS.

The special claims of disabled soldiers to Government employment were emphasised by a deputation from the N.Z.R..S.A. which . waited upon the Minister of Laboirr (th« Hon. G. J. Anderson) and the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. J. O. Coates) this morning. In addition to the representatives of the R.S.A., Mr. L. O. H. Tripp, ehairma-n of the Wellington Relief Association, was present to support the requests made. Surgeon-General Sir Donald M'Gavin, Director-General of Medical Services, and Mr. E. itiddeJl, Repatriation Department, were also present.

Mr. D. S. Smith, vice-president of the N.Z.R.S.A., said they proposed to dea.l specially with the men who were disabled 50 or more per cent. If not wholly disabled, these men were able to do some work. Employers could not find work for such men when even fit men were unemployed. It was the duty of the Government to find work for such men, and this was done in other couii' tries. It was not intended that they should receive full rate* ol pay. They had suggested that married men should receive £4 a week, and single men £3 a weak, including pension. Men who were receiving less than. the3e amount* in pension were in need of work to help them to live. In conference with the Repatriation Board a reasonable srags could be decided on.

Mr. Anderson : "Do you propose thai we should discharge men now employed in order to employ these men?"

Mi 1. Smith : "If necessary, you should discharge fit single men to provide work for these disabled soldiers. It is a case of conflicting interests." * Mr. Anderson : "What about married men?"

Mr. Smith : "We do not say that if they could dispense with one fit single man and employ two disabled men they should do so."

Mr. Coates : "At what sort of jobs?"

Mr. Smith : '\I admit that you are entitled to ask that question, but while we have not the opportunity of going through the departmental files we are unable to give the information." Mr. Tripp, as chairman of the War Relief Association, and Mr. Weston, chairman of the Repatriation Board, had corns independently to ih* same conclusion : that it was the duty of the Government to employ these men. It was no use telling them to go to the Public Service Commissioner. When they suggested that these men should be employed as messengers, they were informed that there were enough messengers already. The only thinrj to do was to sack some of the men who were capable of doing other work. They knew of 14 men in Wellington who were disabled and lacked employment, and the total for New Zealand would probably not be more i than 100. MOST HAVE HAD JOBS. Mr. C. W. Batten stated, in reply to a question by Mr. Coates, that he thought most of the hundred men had had jobs at some time. Mr. Anderson: "Why did they lose them?" Mr. Batten: "For varied reasons." The point of view which the R-S.A. wished, to emphasise specially was that theao men who were disabled were unable to fight in this time of stress, and they should not be asked to do so. Single fit men could make a fi^ht and get a living somehow. The scale of pay suggested was made low so that men who were able to take better jobs outside the Government , would do so. If they were found employment outside the Government it would probably happen that when hard times came again their services would be dispensed with, and them would be the same trouble as at present. If the heads of Government Departments were called together they would probably be able to sup-ply the information sought as to the kind of work which could be made available for these men. If the men were not efficient and not worth the money paid to them to make up their pension rates. *hen th* difference should be made a charge "po» war expenses.

Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp, chairman of the Wellington War Relief Association, said men with 50 per cent, or more disablement who were out of jobs were coming to the association and wer« jjAttisff assistance.. At the snnm tiro* they thought thi» GovernniKOT. mraxii 5-d job? for them. It "was desirable that me men should be encouraged by assisting them to employment. At a time like this the Government's first duty was to these comparatively few men who had suffered bo mu:h. . •

Colonel J. Pow, general secretary of the R.S.A., mentioned a specific case of hardship to a partially disabled man. He admitted that there did not appear to be too many jobs, snch as messengers, in Wellington occupied by single men, but he thought too much was expected of Wellington. There must be jobs in other parts of the country. INVESTIGATION PROMISED. Mr. Anderson said that an answjr could not,bo given at onco to the deputation's request, but the matter would be discussed as soon as the Prime Minister came back to Wellington. The deputation spoke of putting off messengers, but he was afraid that many of these men would not do as messengers, as often the messengers had to carry heavy loads. He thought v<heiy would have to take. a broader view of the question. The Government was doing all that it possibly could for the returned soldiers.

Mr. Coates said that there were one or two difficulties in the way of what the deputation suggested. In the first place, there was the suggestion that the disabled men should be employed at less than the ordinary rates; but that j was a difficulty to be overcome. Another difficulty was that nearly all these disabled men had bften given a chance. He did not say that they gave up tho jobs because the work was too hard, They probably went back on tho jobs a bit. He was heart and soul with tho request that the Government should do its best for the disabled men. In the Departments ol which ho had control, if a man was a 'trier he got a chance; but if he was not a trier, he had not got a hope. He would be very glad to go to work in his Departments and see | what could bo done. On the other hand, j a man with £2 a week could struggle along somehow." J Mr. Batten: "We have excluded the men on big pensions, I'think." Mr. Smith said that some of the single men had dependents, and could not do with less than £3 a week. Mr. Coatea said that he was not prepared to admit that it was the duty of the Government to employ all tho disabled men. Private employers must help. It was very difficult to deal with the man who had a iob one week and left it the next. In all his Departments returned soldiers had absolute preference, especially those who were disabled.

Sir Donald M'Gavin said that the man who was entitled to special consideration was the man wV.- ins 4 oeen continuously, or almost continuously, under treatment. and therefore had not hurl the opportunity of Wring advantags of th« repatriation uhemc.