DEMOBILISATION PROGRESS

Evening Star, Issue 25366, 23 December 1944, Page 6

DEMOBILISATION PROGRESS

60,220 MEN AND WOMEN PLACEMENT IN CIVIL LIFE FIGURES (P.). WELLINGTON, Dec. 22. To the end of November, 60,220 ser•vicemen and women 'have been demobilised from the armed forces, said the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr D. F. Skinner. During November, 3;067 returned personnel and 812 home service men and women have been demobilised, making 3,879 for the month. At the date of the return the totals discharged from the forces were 34.754 returned from overseas, and 25,466 demobilised from home service. " An analysis of the placement figures of ex-servicemen and women," the Minister said, " shows that over all 69 per cent, have placed themselves in employment, businesses and on farms, while 31 per cent, have required assistance from the Rehabilitation Department. ' Proportionately more returned personnel than home service men and women, however, have so far required assistance in placement. The percentages for returned men and women are 64 per cent, self-placed and 36 per cent, assisted. For home service personnel, 74 per cent, were selfplaced and 26 per cent, required assistance. n " Though we are naturally at all times ready to assist any number of ex-servicemen and women to rehabilitate themselves," said the Minister, " from the point of view of the men themselves the higher the percentage in the self-placed category the better. Many men have had to be placed in employment more than once by the department, but in each case the returns show only one placement. There are many cases in which men have been assisted to find employment but later have placed themselves, in which case they are shown in the returns simply as being self-placed. point which should be borne in mind, particularly with regard to home service .personnel, is that a large proportion of them have been directed into employment under the man-power regulations, and many will probably require assistance into permanent jobs after the war. Furthermore, though the great majority manage to find themselves employment or return to former work, thousands of them have required assistance from the Rehabilitation Department in other ways, including housing, furniture, and miscellaneous forms of financial help. " I should like to emphasise that on the whole the relations between the department and private employers are on a most cordial and co-operative basis, but there have been a few cases, regrettable as they are rare, in which employers have had to be reminded of their moral obligation towards their former employees. I have a list of 24 such cases reported from the four main main centres, five of them having required action by the Labour Department. The number of these cases is certainly small but shows that the legislation compelling employers to reinstate former workers is highly necessary and has no doubt prevented many more cases of evasion by employers of their obligation." The main headings showing the dis'posal of demobilised personnel are as follows: Not yet .discharged, returned to service, on leave, in hospital, recuperating, etc., 12,568; undergoing full-time training, 1,658; placed with pre-service employer, 1,2-10; self-placed with pre-service employer, 14,492; placed without subsidy with other private employer, 8,348; self-placed with other private employer, 12,556; placed without subsidy in State employ, 714; self-placed without subsidy in State employ; 616; placed with subsidy in intermediate scheme, 21; returned to own business or farm, 2,858; acquired own business or farm, 2,379. Of the 2,379 shown as having acquired their own businesses or farm, 1.571 were assisted with "rehabilitation loans.