REPATRIATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18116, 5 June 1919, Page 4

REPATRIATION.

MEETING OF BOARD. The weekly meeting’ of the Repatriation Board wee held last night, Mr A. S \V. Jamieson presiding. The chairman submitted a lengthy report of his recent conference with the’Ministerial Board in Wellington, stating that the first question that arose was the matter of general policy, After the discussion, he was fully convinced that the Ministers were most desirous of giving -every v assistance to the local boards, and they expressed their desire to support any reasonable proposals submitted to tiiem from time to time. Certain regulations had been set out as guiunng- principles, but the Ministers gave tiie 'speaker to understand tiiat tne board were quite .rignt in treating all cases on their merits, and it was authorised (subject to confirmation) to treat these cases irrespective of any particular regulation. -The files dealing with the Christchurch recommendations were gone through by the Director, and in the main no one could pos-: sibly find fault with the manner'in which these had been dealt with in Wellington, and in no case could the speaker find where the decisions of the board in the main bed been overridden. The matter of urban and suburban land was fully discussed With the Ministers, who appreciated the necessity for the Repatriation Board being in closer contact with the Lands Department, gnd a proposal was under discussion, and was likely, to be adopted almost immediately, whereby a supervisor would be appointed, who would be in constant touch with the local board. This closer contact should materially assist the returned men and help the Government in the purchase and settlement of the urban and suburban lands. The vocational training question, gave rise to a certain amount of argument, but the speaker was able to that the board was distinctly of opipion that the real solution was to be found in the adoption of a scheme whereby soldiers could be trained in the already established workshops, .as the men would not go inifO training schools except ns an aid. but preferred to get into the atmosphere of real borings. At a recent meeting of representatives of the various enenneering firms, when this opinion was unanimously endorsed, it. was stated that thev would • endeavour to evolve a scheme to be put in hand at onee, so as to secure come training within the properlv established workshops. It had also been arranged for all other industries to have similar conferences, so ns to give this important matter., every consideration. Respecting grants to married men in hospital, tho Repatriation Officer had authorised that hospital cases should be treated as discharged soldiers, so far as furniture grants-were concerned. Basket making work was being carried on by disabled men, but they were anxious to get others to .assist and they were even prepared to pay the expenses of a man from Ohristchuroh; who might be minus a lower limb, as there was plenty of work available in Wellington. '

With reference to Government Departments and medical certificates, the speaker had waited upon the secretary of. the Commissioner of tho Public Service *and others, and found that in every case they expressed, themselves as having only one desire—as far as lay in their power—to help the returned men. It was pointed out that in one Department alone, there were over 3000 men who, had enlisted and gone to the front, and .who would rightly demand their old positions; therefore tho Government was, in duty' bound, the same as any other employer, to protect these men. In addition to this, during the absence of the soldiers, juniors who were in the service prior to the war had qualified for higher service; the men who had been away were four years older, and this alone created problems, the greater of which were to be found with the larger staffs. The speaker learned also that the men, whilst they had been away, had received any promotion they were entitled to, in common with all othere. The Executive Officers were doing everything in their power, and in some eases had made the regulations very elastic, to assist- in finding temporary employment. Regarding the question of medical certificates, it was true that a medical certificate had always been required of anyone joining the Civil Service, and this was done because the superannuation scheme was compulsory, and it would be impossible for the superannuation scheme to be maintained if, this protection were not instituted. Tho fund was subscribed to weekly by the employees in the .public service, although the Government subsidised the fund, in order to overcome the charge that was made on the fund in its initiatory stages by reason of a number of aged men who were then in the sendee. Therefore it was impossible for the Government, in fairness to their own staff, to release the medical certificate, unless a special Bill was put through the House, whereby the fund could be subsidised to meet the increased financial responsibility that would be incurred by the admission of medically unfit men. This matter had already received the serious attention of tho Government, and tho Departmental heads would welcome. a relaxation of the rule. A Bill was being prepared for submission to Parliament at the earliest possible moment on these lines. In the meantime, the Departmental heads had indicated that they would do as they had done for some months past, and extend every consideration to the returned men. Regarding other large employers, a statement had already been made, from the board' to the effect that the employers in tiler main were assisting in in the'Repatriation of men. Certain large firms were prepared to dismiss men taken on during the war to make positions for returned soldiers,, but this would not overcome the economic trouble, because it would be argued, and rightly so, that it would be%uri ting others on the unenjplqvmcnt market 'without any special protection. Despite tho disadvantages, however, there was only the one course to ad opt--to urge employers to meet the whole posi- ' t.ion as generously ns possible. The main.object of the recent protective Act wa-s to protect the soldiers, but there were one of - two aspects which required further consideration, and the matter was now in the hands of the Crown Laws Office, who would submit the full report, and if there should he anv aspect likelv to a,fleet the soldiers’ credit in an endeavour to protect him in another way, it would be altered at once.

In the course of a discussion which followed the reading of the report, Mr K J. Howard deprecated the action of the Govefnment in not taking men back into the Government service who had returned unfit to pass the medical test required of all Government employees. These men, he considered, should have an that their positions were open to them and that they would not be penalised in the matter of superannuation. It was unfair to expect private employers to find work for men whom the Government, had turned down- If they waited for the Government to pass-legislation amending its present regulations, thev might wait a long time* as it was quite possible there woula be no session this year. The chairman stated that he had been given to understand that the Government would find work for a man in some other department if he were not physically fit- to return to llis former woris. *- ■

Mr C. H- Hewlett asked if he could definitely inform a number of unemployed ex-Government servants on the hoard’s unemployment list that this wasthe case. The chairman said if their names and particulars of their cases were supplied

.. to him he would send them on to Wellington. Mr N. B. M’Gallum supported Mr Howard. The board should take up the attitude that, if necessary, -the Government should establish a separate fund, and subsidise it, to ensure that no plan who had gone to the front should bo penalised as regards bis superannuation. The matter was eventually referred to a committee consisting of Messrs F. W Hobbs. N. B. M’Callum, O. H. Hewlett. E. J. Howard and the chairman for consideration. In the course of a discussion on urban and suburban settlement of soldiers several members expressed the opinion that it would facilitate matters if a representative ‘of the Repatriation Board were appointed to the Land Board. Others considered that the appointment of a supervisor to act with the Repatriation Board would meet the renuirements of the position. Satisfaction was expressed that the period over which an option to purchase had to be obtained had been reduced from tb rr *e months to one month.

The matter was eventually referred to a. committee consisting of Messrs H. J. S. Goodman. F. W. Hobbs, D. Jones and A. F Drayton. A report bv Mr F W. Hobbs, on behalf of the Trades. Tools and Equipment Committee, detailing the work done by the committee since the previous meeting of the board, was adopted, with a recommendation that £75 be granted to each of two applicants who desired' to eigbark in the fishing industry, the matter being left to the committee, with power to act. Messrs J. Clarke and W. E. Leadley were added to the Trades, Tools and Eonipment Committee. Mr Goodman submitted a report on briialf of the Sustenance and Furniture Committee. He stated that of five applicants, three had been granted and two declined. Of the applications for grants for furniture, thirteen had been granted and.four held over or declined. The report was adopted. Mr O. Hewlett reported on behalf of the Employment Committee that employment had been found , for fiftytwo men. There were .still 112 men on the unemployed list. < Of these fiftytwo were partially disabled and required light employment. Tho report wnR adopted. * It was decided to recommend the Government to amend the Limitationof Choice of Appointments clause in the Public Service Act in the direction of making it read that “the Cnmmispinner shall., wherever possible, give nrefereuee to an applicant who is an honourably discharged member of the New Zealand EvTvoditiona.rr Force.” if be hag on seed the Entrance Examination or its pnuivalent. The clause at prerenfc rAodn, “The Commisrioner may. if ho thinks fit. ” give to an honournblx dl°ebaro , ed soldier, Tt was derided that the Emnlovment Gommitten should be asked to make a more exhaustive report on the hscl.-et-maldng industry to a future meeting of the board.