R.S.A.'S FOUR POINTS

Evening Star, Issue 25301, 9 October 1944, Page 7

R.S.A.'S FOUR POINTS

MOST OF DEMANDS ALREADY ADOPTED " Almost all the points raised by the executive of the N.Z.R.S.A. on rehabilitation at its quarterly meeting concern matters either already in operation or about to be adopted," said the Minister. In the first place he as Minister of Rehabilitation did have full charge of the administration of the Act, he con ...tinued.-The fact that the Rehabilitation... Department did not have its own vote for finance at present was not so serious as might be thought at first sight, as any application for assistance which was passed by the board or any of its subsidiary bodies would never lack the finance necessary, no matter from what source the money was to come. ; No claim had ever been turned down or even deferred through lack of finance. Regarding the constitution of the board, the Minister pointed out that almost all the departmental heads acting on the board were themselves returned men of either this war or the last, and their experience and advice were extremely valuable, saving a lot of time in being immediately available at board meetings. The present organisation was working very well, and would be hard to beat. As for the vaguely-phrased 'suggestion that the present administrative machinery should be revised and overhauled, the Minister said, this process was always in hand, and improvements were effected from time to time when justified. A system of decentralisation, which should prove satisfactory, had been devised, and as soon as the necessary appointments had been completed (in, a matter of days now) it would be put. into effect, at first in Auckland, and a little later, with the benefit of lessons learned, in the other main centres. The governing factor would always be the best interests of the ex-servicemen themselves. A comprehensive survey of the requirements of the service personnel .overseas, as had already been stated publicly, had been in hand for almost a year now, the Minister added.

As for a survey of occupations throughout New Zealand, the Minister said, the newlyformed Organisation for National Development already had that most important task in hand, and various rehabilitation offices in the districts always made a point of keeping up to dote their information on the needs and potentialities in the business, industry, and fanning of their respective districts" The Organisation for National Devejopment was also looking after the suggested survey of the economy of the country, with special regard to the general task of post-war reconstruction, and more would be heard of its -work in due course. Every effort was being made to give the men overseas a. correct up-to-date statement of the rehabilitation facilities available on their return, the Minister said. The system of priorities would affect very few of the men overseas, as the groat majority of them serving in the combatant zones would in any case be in the highest grade, of priority. Moreover, the matter of shortages and the man-power position would be made fully clear to them, before their return.