DEMOBILISATIOW AND REPATRIATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1389, 22 November 1918, Page 5

DEMOBILISATIOW AND REPATRIATION.

(Special to “Standard.") WELLINGTON, Nov. lu Tho Minister for Defence stated today that tho epidemic in the camps was well iu hand. Row fresh cases were being reported, and tho serious cases in tho hospitals were admitted sumo time ago. It was now possible to proceed with demobilisation fairly rapidly, and ho hoped that soon tho men would bo leaving camp at the rate of uOU or more per day, Tho men at Feathcrston had been promised that demobilisation would bo complete by December 1 unless some unforeseen obstacle arose. The Minister added that lie appreciated tho way the men had played the game under distressing conditions. Tho rnon of tho Samoan garrison will bo demobilised as quickly as possible, said tho Minister for Defence this evening, but it will be necessary to keep a foreo at Samoa until tho fate of the island has been decided at the Peace Conference influenza has appeared at Samoa in a bad form, and tho authorities there have cabled for medical assistance. Tho Defence Minister is trying to arrange for assistance to be sent from Australia. Tho recently appointed Board of Repatriation, which consists of the Ministers for Defence, Lands, Agriculture and Education, has held a preliminary meeting, but progress has been stayed to some extent by tho influenza epidemic. The first step is to be the appointment of a Director of Repatriation, and this officer has still to bo selected.

The Minister for Defence stated today that the demobilisation and repatriation schemes were receiving the constant attention of the officers of his Department, and improvements wore being made as information and experience accumulated. The immediate problem was the co-ordination of the work to bo done here and in England, whore General Richardson had already made many plans. Measures for the training and education of the soldiers had been adopted already, and more would bo done in this direction in order to bridge the period that would elapse before the last of the men could bo returned to Now Zealand and discharged. It would not bo good for the men from any point of view that this time should bo wasted.