DISABLED SOLDIERS

Evening Star, Issue 20321, 1 November 1929, Page 5

DISABLED SOLDIERS

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY FURTHER EVIDENCE HEARD The commission set up to investigate the possibility of providing economic employment for ex-servicemen who, through war disability, are not at present capable of adequately supporting themselves or their dependents, continued its sittings in the Public Trust Building this morning. ' The commission consists of Mr J. o. Barton, S. M. (chairman), Sir John Luke, and Mr S. J. Harrison (general secretary of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Assocition). Mr F. W. Mitchell, president of the Otago Employers’ Association, said that he had been deputed by that body to give evidence before the commssion. He was, however, unable to speak for individual employers, or even for the bulk of the members of the Employers’ Association as they had had no opportunity ot discussing the question in detail, but lie was quite sure that each and every one had tho utmost sympathy with disabled men, and would gladly assist in as far as was within their power. Unfortunately, with a largo number of able-bodied men, skilled and unskilled in craftsmanship, seeking employment, it was . most difficult' to take on those who were, by reason of war disability, unable to give full service. There was further the difficulty in most manufacturing processes, that those were continuous, and it could readily bo seen that, to break into the sequence of the operations meant serious loss. While the Repatriation Board was in active operation, it was comparatively simple to place men in new occupations, as the law permitted those men to bo employed at rates lower than those prescribed by awards, tho lesser rate being supplemented from funds at the disposal of the department. The dispersal of those local boards had practically rendered that system inoperative; there was no source from which a direct supplement could be drawn. In bis opinion the work of the Repatriation Department was discontinued too soon; an extension of time would have simplified that form of relief considerably. It had always been, in his experience, the policy of labour union officials to resist the applications for un-der-rate workers’ permits. During the war, and immediately subsequent to it, that opposition was relaxed, and the unions worked in sympathy with repatriation officials, but it was always doubtful whether it would not be restored, particularly as there was no fund from wdiich the wages could bo supplemented. ■ At the annual conference of the New Zealand -Employers’ Association recently the matter had been brought forward by the Otago Association in the form of a motion: “ That in the case of ex-soldiers who by reason of war disabilities are unable to follow their ordinary avocation.';, they should b© exempt from the provisions of the award governing any industry in which they may be given employment.” Tins motion had been carried with the addition that tho cases should be subject to the approval of the Medical Board. In expressing these views on a difficult problem, he was aware that ho was repeating what had already been said by previous speakers before the commission, but confirmation from the body of men whom ho represented might be helpful, and he repeated that employers generally would gladly assist if the difficulties mentioned could be overcome.

He believed that if disabled returned men were employed by manufacturers as employees on under-rate workers’ permits, it was quite possible that the psychological effect on the men of having something to do rather than doing nothing, would in course of time, enable the disabled soldier to earn a larger wage through becoming increasingly competent. He might, in course of time, be capable of earning full wages. It had occurred to him that there were possibilities of dealing with this problem by either using established technical schools or establishing others where the men could be taught suitable trades. These would soon be in a position to turn out marketable articles, the sale of which would help to provide wages and other costs. If something on these lines was found practicable, it would, in conjunction with the farm-training proposed by another witness, solve the whole problem. There were, undoubtedly, difficulties, such as the finding of markets, supervision, otc., but these should not bo insurmountable, and he _ thought the scheme had distinct possibilities. A SOLDIER’S VIEW.

A letter which the commission received from a disabled .soldier in the North Island stated that he had given considerable thought to the question of the rehabilitation of returned soldiers and he said he was inclined to think that land settlement schemes should take pride of place both for the sake of the men and tlio stability of the dominion. There were many returned men, like the writer, who because of physical disability would not suit :i private employer, but who could, with the aid of their wives and families, manage small farms. It seemed to him that a farm colony would be the best scheme for returned men, because under such a system the State could provide experts to help the men. The men could also co-operate in the use of teams and implements. If the State were to acquire a block of land near a city, a large number of small farms could bo established near a market. HUMAN FRAILTIES.

Mr N. C. Kensington (Commissioner of Crown Lands for Otago) said that before coming to Dunedin he had administrative experience in the land districts of Marlborough Nelson, and Southland. Ho had made a close study of the problems of land settlement by discharged soldiers. The most successful men on the land were those who had gone in for sheep farming. _ In Otago there had not been one single failure in that class, and included in the class were quite a number of badlydisabled men. Those men, however, were above the average in ability, resourcefulness, and self-confidence. Moreover, most of them either had capital of their own or were supported by relatives, friends, or stock and station agents. The mercantile firms in Dunedin had taken a special interest, and ho could say. a special pride in the success of such men. It was a pleasure to put on record that there had been very little selling-out by such men—in other words,, the element of speculation had been conspicuous by its absence. Sheep farming of the kind mentioned could only be carried on on comparatively large areas. The available areas weie few in nuniber, and the demand’ was overwhelmingly greater than the supply. He thought, therefore, that the idea of providing such areas for further disabled men could be ruled out as quite outside the bounds of practicability. An important suggestion had been made to the commission—a suggestion that group settlement or community settlement by dis-

abled soldiers might with advantage be given a trial in New Zealand. Ho was entirely favourable to such a suggestion provided it meant group farming and hot community farming. The experience of the Lands Department had shown that, in at least-99 per cent, of cases, it was impossible to carrv on a partnership in land successfully for any appreciable length of time. The causes and reasons why land partnerships almost invariably turned out disastrously were not far to seek. Ho would put non-prosperity in the forefront. After that there was a host of reasons which need not be enumerated, but winch coulci be attributed to the common frailties of human nature. Under active service conditions,. a spirit of true comradeship prevailed, tmd the selfish wish of the individual was subordinated to the interests of the men as a whole. He could see no reason why such a spirit should not be revived ameng the men who tried it, practised it, and found , that jt was good. Comradeship in group. settlement would be generally assisting each other in the working of different properties, and pulling together in unison. Ho did not suggest that profits would be pooled, but each individual soldier would work his own holding, receiving community assistance at times. Prosperity was the first essential to the recreation and development of the spirit. He considered the following elements essential to prosperity:—The land must be of good quality: the climate must be bracing and salubrious; the location must be handy to markets and to the amenities of modern life; the work must be interesting and not too arduous; and the men must see success in the early stages. Bee and poultry fanning, flower and fruit growing,. seed, tobacco, and hop culture were, in his opinion, the ’ most suitable methods of land occupation by disabled men. To put a scheme into practical operation would cost the country money, hut he did not think the general community would take exception to that. Free occupation of the land in the early stages would bb of great help, and ho would be in favour of it. Group and co-qpera-tivo settlement on the lines . indicated should have the free and whiling advice of Government experts. There should be a minimum of departmental interference. All questions should be referred to a committee elected periodically by the settlers. Included in the committee there should be one specially selected Government official of proved capacity and tact and one strongminded, wise, kind woman of experience in social work. Special legislation would be required, and details would need to be provided for by regulations, not necessarily general for the whole dominion, but possibly for each settlement. The regulations could bo readily altered and amended from time to time as the need arose. _ The committee should participate in the framing of the regulations, and should administer them. In expressing himself in favour of giving the scheme a trial, he wished it to be understood that a success in one settlement should be demonstrated before setting up a second one. His view was that twelve men should form a settlement, and that the trial be made with specially selected men. He was not prepared to say at this stage who should do the selecting. Certainly he thought the Returned Soldiers’ Associations should have a hand in the task. He had not touched on the economic aspect of the scheme measured in terms of £ s. d. To give disabled men an interest and object in life, to inculcate the desire to work and help each other, to give them a real pride in their country, and to kindle the fire of laudable ambition —these, in his opinion, were of greater value to the community than were immediate money profits. The profits would assuredly follow the complete rehabilitation. He was not prepared to lay down a hard-and-fast rule as to the area that each individual in a group settlement should hold. Obviously that would vary with quality of land,, nature of its use, and proximity to a centre of population. He could say that there was no available Crqwn land which could be used for such a scheme. Land for the purpose would have to be bought. If it were decided that the proposals and suggestions made by him should take practical shape, the Lands Department, in co-operation with the Department of Agriculture, could bo depended upon to pick out the most suitable property for the experiment. In summing up his remarks he submitted the following conclusions:

(1) That small areas could be worked by incapacitated soldiers on group system and be made successful; if not wholly self-supporting, as a largo relief to the economic pension. (2) There wore areas in the Otago district which would bo suitable for the scheme. (3) After the trial mentioned in his evidence the scheme could be largely extended, and would also serve the useful purpose of illustrating that small farming could bo made successful by the people of the dominion. AGRICULTURIST’S OPINION. Mr R. R. Tennont, field superintendent for Otago and Southland, under the Department of Agriculture, said that he must confess to having rather nebulous ideas as to. the manner in which the services of incapacitated exsoldiers could he best utilised. He had. however, been faced with the suggestion that the exercise of their activities in farming pursuits of some form or another, particularly in regard to seed production, bee keeping, and poultry raising might be a fruitful source of employment. , It had further been suggested to him that such activities might reasonably bo carried out bv disabled men working together under a community or village Settlement scheme. As an outcome of such suggestions, some of which bad no doubt been placed before the commission for consideration, be felt it expedient to place on record his personal opinions in connection therewith.

Frankly, he must state that he was most dubious as to the practicability of utilising the services of_ disabled soldiers in primary production. Ho would draw attention to the fact that three fundamental requirements wore essential to ensure ' success in any branch of farming pursuit. The individual must be able-bodied and in good health, he must possess’ a thoroughly sound knowledge of the type of farming which he was adopting and a liking for it; but, in addition to those two desirable attributes, he must have ample finance to carry out the business of farming. Unfortunately too few people realise how essential it was for the potential farmer to be thoroughly equipped in those three respects before farming in any shape or form could be successfully undertaken. In the case of the average disabled returned soldier, one had to recognise his limitations in so far as his capacity for hard physical labour was concerned, and farming called for hard manual .work. Again, the majority of men whom it was intended to help had not a specialised, nor, indeed, a generalised,’ knowledge of agriculture. He did not believe that the practice of farming could be learnt by a short period of training, although that opinion seemed unfortunately to be general, but he was convinced that it took years of application and experience finally to turn out a man who could be classed as fit successfully to carry on farming. The question of finance was of most vital consideration, and, . generally speaking a large proportion or failures which had occurred in farming were

due to insufficient capital. Naturally, if it was decided to put disabled soldiers on the land, it would be essential to finance them generously; hut, even so, their natural disabilities, both physical and intellectual (speaking in re* lation to farming lore), would in his (Mr Tennent’s) opinion be too great a hurdle to overcome. He should, on the other hand, agree entirely with any suggestion that disabled soldiers could be settled. on the land if the Government consistently financed them during their occupation thereon, bub that will result in considerable calls being made on the Star.o finances. In the majority of cases, however, he firmly belieevd that without continuous monetary assistance disabled ox-soldiers would not make successful farmers, and he considered it most unwise to 4 attempt to make farmers out of them. If one considered the possibilities of their successfully undertaking minor farming operations, such as seed raising, bee culture l or poultry raising, he must again admit that he failed to see how a success could he made out of such undertakings. Whilst he freely agreed that they could grow in New' Zealand seed of the highest quality, he would point out to the. commission that seed growing was quite a specialised business, calling not only for a thorough knowledge of the principles of seed production, but also demanding on the part of the grower long hours of work, and hard work at that. His experience in connection with seed raising on the Moa Seed Farm convinced him that that type of fanning practice was of such a precarious nature as to preclude the possibility of its being adopted by untrained and physically unfit men. Seed growing could be regarded as a speculative industry, the market for seeds being of such, an unstable nature as. to cause great fluctuations in prices, whilst competition with other countries which usually were able to produce seed at a cheaper cost than New ? Zealand growers, was so keen that it makes the seed-growing proposition a very dubious one. Probably the most successful method of growing seed was to do so on a, contract basis, but in this' case the activities of the growers had largely to be confined to the growing of agricultural seeds, such as peas, lucerne, oats, potatoes, barley, and wheat. It was questionable whether cereal or potato seed growing as a sole source of livelihood was a profitable undertaking under the best farming methods, and the growing of pecs and lucerne must be confined to special districts. In any case contract growing of seed appeared to him to be quits out of the question for disabled men on account of the comparatively large area of land which was necessary rotadonally to crop for seed production. The growing of flower and vegetable seeds might' prove an interesting outdoor hobby, but could not develop into a lucrative business. Successfully to undertake the growing of small miscellaneous seeds, it would bo essential to secure the goodwill of the Seed Merchants’ Association, a most business-like body. Unfortunately good-will and competitive basis ness did not go hand in band. In regard to bee-keeping and poultry raising, he laid no claim to having an intimate knowledge of these two branches of agriculture, but he' had yet to meet the man who was making a, satisfactory living solely from bees. Further, ho knew of numerous cases of poultry farmers, experienced and able men in their line, who were far from being prosperous. Personally, _ ho regarded the poultry industry in New, Zealand as being in a most parlous condition, chiefly on account of the high cost of egg production, and he could, not visualise disabled men making a lucrative living by the . adoption of poultry raising as a business. There was always a tendency to suggest that the owner of a small piece of land could make a satisfactory living by keeping bees, poultry, pigs, and the growing or vegetables. In his opinion the endeavour to engage in such a miscellaneous type of livelihood resulted in chaos, no particular branch" receiving the care and consideration which it merited. At first thought the idea of forming a village settlement composed of disabled soldiers, each being allocated a block of land, and all working under the direction of a central controlling authority, looked appealing. On second thoughts difficulties could be foreseen which greatly militated against the at* tractions of such a proposition. Successful community settlements of this nature, calling as they did for co-opera-tive endeavour among the individuals, could only be conducted when harmonious relations exist between the settlers, and it was to be admitted, that minor grievances in so far as priority of use of implements, location upon the settlement, and many other apparently trifling considerations, must inevitably become so magnified in live minds of some of the settlers that they eventually were regarded as serious grievances, thus greatly disturbing the equanimity of the whole settlement. Difficulties and dissension were bound, to arise, and a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the controlling authority would undoubtedly be expressed from time to time. This invariably happened iiii all community systems, and gradually, led to disruption of the community. Ho knew nothing of the psychology of tl>e disabled soldier, but lie did know that community settlement was most difficult of operation with rble-bodied men. Quito apart from this aspect of community or, village settlement, ho would point out that the success of: the settlement would be closely bound up with the typo of farming adopted by the settlers. He did not believe that crop farming was suited to . disabled ex-soldiers, nor, as lie had indicated, was seed production, bee-keep-ing, or poultry raising. It would appear to him that New Zealanders were not particularly adapted to colony, settlement, which would in all probability be regarded as a, new type of institution. One realised, of course, the beneficial effect which light work would have amidst rural surroundings, but he did not think that the institution of definite fanning colonies would prove satisfactory. For the disabled soldier who periodically required a rest treatment or a change of vocation in thd country he would suggest bis transference to definite rest, homes where facilities for light work not only of an indoor but of an outdoor nature could be given. ' He did not think that the solution in regard to the ‘ employment of disabled ex-soldiers lay in placing them in farming pursuits, and he suggested that greater advantage would result net oniy to themselves, but to the community at large, if they were found suitable employment in the secondary, industries, employment commensurate 'with their abilities, the pay for which should be substantiated by the . Government to the extent of producing a reasonable living wage for the disabled, soldier.