REHABILITATION

Grey River Argus, 15 May 1944, Page 3

REHABILITATION

Special Assistance

BOARD TO BE STRENGTHENED. P.A. WELLINGTON, May 14. “To enable the Rehabilitation Board to give full effect to its policy, the Government has authorised the Board to exceed its established, limits of assistance where special circumstances justify such action,” the Minister of Rehabilitation (Mr. Skinner) said today. “At the same time authority has been given to strengthen the Board by the appointment of representatives of the State Advances Corporation, the Lands and Survey Department, and the Native Department to the Board as members," The new Board now comprises the Minister as chairman, the Director of Rehabilitation, representatives of the two Departments and the Corporation, the Secretary to the Treasury, and Messrs S. W. Gasper, C. W. Batten, and H. L. Cullen. To enable decisions to be expedited in individual cases, the Minister continued, the Board ha'd set up a number of committees from Board members, all under the general control of the Board, and to deal with different types of assistance. The Rehabilitation Loans Committee would deal with all applications for loans. The Lands Settlement Committee was a' joint committee of the Rehabilitation and Land Settlement Boards, which would be responsible for the acquisition, development, and settlement of land. The Maori Rehabilitation Finance Committee would deal with applications for financial assistance from ex-servicemen. The Trade Training Committee had, in addition to the Board members, the secretary of the Labour Department, Hon. R. E'ddy, Mr. D. W. MacDonald (Manufacturers’ Federation), Mr. W. E. Leadley (Disabled Servicemen’s Reestablishment League), and Mr. R. G. Ridling (Wellington Technical College), and would deal with applications and plans for trade training. The Education Committee, which also had as additional majnbers Sir Thoma's Hunter (University of New Zealand), Lieut.-Colonel D. G. Ball (Arm v Education and Welfare Service), Dr. C. E. Beeby (Director of Education), Wing Commander Caradus (R.N.Z. A.F. Educational Service), and Mr. S’. T. Barnett (Public Service Commissioner’s office), would deal with all applications for educational service.

The Minister added that there was also a standing executive committee tp deal with urgent matters, and consideration was being given to the delegation of further powers to district executive bodies, on which local committees would be represented, but no finality had been reached on that point. The appointment of committees would not alter the operation of the rehabilitation scheme, and exservicemen were advised to make their applications to District Rehabiliation Officers and local committees.