A BIG PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 56, 4 September 1923, Page 8

A BIG PROBLEM

WORK FOR THE LIMBLESS

HOW CAN MEN BE PLACED?

THE BRITISH NATIONAL ROLL

SCHEME.

One dt the mo3t difficult problems which, the countries of the world have bad to face since the close of the Great War has been Uiat of absorbing disabled ex-service men int« civilian life. Each country has tackled the problem in its own way, but in no case has a complete measure of success been attained. Today, five years after the closing scene in the world's most gigantic drama, disabled men are walking the street* of every capital, .earching for employment, not that they :nay, live, but that their dependants may be spared from tfie intrusion of the wolf of hunger. New Zealand's position is not as serious as th.at of other blanches of the British Empire, but even in this favoured part of the world the unemployed ex-service man is by no means a novelty. Returned soldiers generally think that the number of unemployed men could be very greatly reduced if the Government went thoroughly into the position, and the question has been engaging the close attent tion of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association for some months past Included in ths schemes that have been under consideration is that of. the King's National Roll, which has been tried with only vaiyingt success in England. 'The N.Z.R.S.A. decided not to recommend the adoption of the scheme in New Zealand, but decided, instead, to again urge upon the Government the great need of finding suitable employment for the disabled men. The National Roll scheme is new to the majority' of New Zealanders. Briefly, the object of the scheme is to absorb into employment all ex-service men, and to secure as far as possible the equitable distribution pi such men among the several industries. The scheme is under the cont*l of the Minister of. Labour, who is assisted by local employment committees. Under the scheme all employers are asked to employ as many disabled ex-service men as possible, 5 per cent, being the normal quota to warrant the inclusion of the firm's name on the national roll. In special cases a smaller percentage is sufficient. For the purpose of the scheme a disabled ex-service man is:—

(a.) Any man who is in possession of a disability pension, or who has been in receipt of a disability pension while in his present employment, but has ceased to receive such pension while in that employment. (b.) Any man who is receiving from 'the Ministry of Pensions a gratuity for, a minor disablement or aggravation of a complaint, and is considered by the local employment committee to be incapacitated, from following his normal occupation. (a) Any man who has had a disability pension commuted by the Ministry of Pensions. HOW, THE SCHEME WORKED. ."''•'ln -the-caies where-ari ex-service man has been employed the names of the employer and the employee are entered on the King's National Roll. A certificate is issued to the employer entitling him to use on his letter-paper and other documents the special badge of the national scheme, the right remaining in force until such, time a.s the certificate is withdrawn for any reason. The certificate is issued on the understanding that at any time the holder will be prepared to satisfy the Minister of Labour that he is keeping to the undertaking to employ disabled men. After twelve mo:^lis the certificate is renewable for a further term of two years. Up to Ist May, 1922, the number of employers who had their names on the King's National Roll was 30,286, who were providing employment for 362,478 disabled ex-service men. The roll contained the names of His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen, His Majesty's Treasury, many, m.Viieipal bodies, and the laxgest industrial and commercial undertakings in the country. The British Government decided, save in exceptional cases, to give Government contracts to firms on the National Eoll, and many local bodies followed the Government's example in this respect.

THE GOVERNMENT'S DUTY.

For a time the scheme made progress at Home, but after a while firms began to drop off the roll, a fact that took away considerably from the success of the scheme. The New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association was furnished with particulars of the scheme, and the whole question, as it affected New Zealand, was considered by the executive of that body in May of this year. A comprehensive report was obtained from a gentleman' well qualified to deal with the matter and after an extensive inquiry it was decided not to recommend the adoption of the scheme in New Zealand. In arriving at this decision the association again gave vent to its oft-expressed opinion that the Government should undertake the task of finding employment for those men who had been so unfortunate as to lose a limb in the defence of their country. The association feels that, as representatives of the people of New Zealand, the Government's duty is plain. A suggestion was also made that chambers of commerce should be approached regarding the matter, but that step has not been taken so far.

POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND.

In conversation with a representative of "The Post" this morning, an official of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association said that the association knew of fifty men who were in urgent need of employment, and every effirt was being made to induce the Government to place them in suitable permanent employment. That figure, of course, did not represent the total number of men out of employment, as the various local branches of the association had fairly large lists. One only needed to look around the various Government offices to see that there were positions that could ,very well be filled by disabled men. : One disabled soldier with a wife and five children had been living on a pension of 32s a week, and although the recent amendments to the Pensions Act would give him an extra 30s per week by way of an economic pension, his position was a pretty desperate one. Even increased pensions did pot meet the case, for a man with nothing to occupy his mind was very likely to 1 dwell on his troubles, and thus undermine his general health. The Returned Soldiers' Association hoped, before long, to meet heads of Government departments in conference, and there were hopes that the result of that conference would be that there would be a general survey of the various departments for the purpose of ascertaining if positions could not be found for disabled men.