FINANCIAL AID

Grey River Argus, 15 June 1942, Page 8

FINANCIAL AID

.BEFORE SOLDIERS’ DISCHARGE.

P.A. WELLINGTON, June 12. Financial assistance may now ba granted to returned servicemen, even though they may not have their final discharge from the armed forces. The position was made clear to-day by the Chairman of the Rehabilitation Board (Mr M. Moohan), in reply to statements made at the executive meeting -of tihe Dunedin Returned Services’ Association, alleging injustice to returned members of the 2nd. New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and the retardation of their rehabilitation. It was stated at the meeting that no returned serv’.cisman was entitled to assistance in the form of a housing loan unless lie had his full discharge from the Army. The position, a member said, was impossible, and it would appear that someone was dodging the matter of discharge for the men, thisreby retarding ’tiheir 'rehabilitation.

“This is the actual position,” said Mr Moohan. “It is correct that Section 2 of the Rehabilitation Act, 1941 limits the granting of financial assistance to discharged servicemen or servicemen’s widows, and the term discharged servicemen is defined in the Act as being a serviceman who has received his discharge from any of His Majesty’s Forces. When the Act was being framed, it was not anticipated that war would reach the .shores of New Zealand and render necessary any departure from the established Army practice of discharging a man once he was graded unfit for active service. "Recently the Army authorities adopted, the procedure of retaining on the strength of the armed forces all men who returned to New Zealand and were classified as grade 3 or better, and also all men discharged from camp in New Zealand with a similar grading. Discharged from, ’camp’ does not mean discharged from the Forces, because unless a man is classified as Grade 4 he would not be discharged, but would be placed on leave without pay and might be called- up for service in some clerical capacitv should the need arise. The same remarks apply to men returned from overseas, and classified as Grade 3 or better. When the Rehabilitation Board became aware of the position, the matter was submitted to Cabinet, and authority has now been given to the State Advances Corporation to make such loans to servicemen, notwithstanding that they may not have their final discharge from His Majesty’s Forces.”