AN URGENTS MATTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18216, 2 October 1919, Page 7

AN URGENTS MATTER.

REINSTATEMENT OF SOLDIERS. L - if RAILWAY DEPARTMENT fek CRITICISED. ■ ______ : In reply to a question at last night’s meeting of the Canterbury District Repatriation Board, the repatriation ot;±Lcer (Mx T. M. Charters) stated that las far as ho knew no further action Lhad been taken by the Railway DepartJniont in regal'd to reinstating returned ’ soldiers who could not pass the Department's medical examination. Mr W. E. Leadley said that four cases mad coma under hia notice of men who, before they became soldiers, were employed by the Railway Department, and on their return to civilian life had Jbeeu refused reinstatement because they could not pass the necessary medial examination. He knew of a man krlio after returning actually worked for Six months as a casual hand. He then made application to be taken on as a permanent hand, but was informed that he could not bo allowed to work for the Department, either as a permanent or a casual worker. The Railway Department was setting a bad example in the matter of . repatriation. Another case concerned clerk who earned a commission in the held ano had an excellent record as a soldier. His application had also boon turned down. Perhaps now that there was a change of Ministers in charge of the •Railway Department, thero would be a change of policy and it would, perhaps, be an opportune moment to bring the matter under Ministerial notice again. The chairman (Mr A. F. Drayton): Do you think we will gain anything by taking the matter up again? Mr Leadley: Certainly I do. The matter is one of extreme urgency. Mr E. J. Howard: 1 believe when this matter was referred to the Department before, we were asked to state a particular case. We should do so now. Mr C. H. Hewlett said that if the board was to do any good in the matter it should act immediately while the House was sitting. Air F. W. Hobbs suggested that the matter should be brought under the notice of one of the city members of Parliament, and that he should bo requested to ask a question in the House, If they communicated with the Department again the matter would probably bo overlooked. ■ Tho chairman thought the board should communicate with the Prime Minister direct. Mr Hewlett: A private member ,T/ould be best, as the matter could then he brought up straight away. Air Hobbs said that Mr Charters was a Government official and as such could only communicate with the Government regarding the matter. But ho thought 'the details of tho cases should be sent to Air L. M. Isitt, ALP., and that he should be asked to bring the matter up in tho House. The chairman: Can wo do that? Periliaps the Returned Soldiers’ Association should bring the matter up. Air Leadley at tho request of the board, gave further details of the cases. <He said that one man who had been ('discharged from the Expeditionary Force as fit, with no pension, had been refused reinstatement to his employment in the Railway Department, as being unfit. On tho strength of tne Department’s action he had . written, to the ■ Commissioner of Pensions claiming a for the man. “ The trouble is (that the Railway DcpWHnent has no heart,” added Mr Leadley. “If it had a heart at all the matter could probably be fixed up.” Mr N. B. M’Cahum, president, of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' (Association, said that the association would take the matter up and communicate with a member of Parliament.

The board decided to send particulars of tho cases to the Ministerial Board, in addition to the action taken by the Returned Soldiers’ Association.