Manawatu Evening Standard. WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1941. THE RETURNED SOLDIER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 204, 30 July 1941, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1941. THE RETURNED SOLDIER.

Soldiers from tlie Middle East who were wounded in Greece are now returning to this country. Earlier "a number were invalided back from Egypt. Ibis will be a continuing process as the months pass and those who suffered wounds in Crete or become sick on service tire sent home. Their repatriation will be one of the big tasks to confront the Government and it is interesting to note that in Australia, where a substantial number of men have been welcomed back from overseas, a repatriation scheme has been established. Married and single men are to receive allowances for three months or until suitable work is found for them, and tools of trade necessary to establish them in work will be provided up to a reasonable sum. The Army will also inaugurate an educational scheme to train men in the trade or profession they may choose. This is the summary of the Australian scheme cabled to the Dominion and it is a start which has not been made too early. No one can- say how long the war will last; but all know that when it is over there will be thousands of men to repatriate, and they will desire to become absorbed in civilian life as quickly as possible. It is the State’s duty to accomplish this and thereby return something to the men who were prepared to sacrifice all for their country. That is theii due.

Australia has a Minister for Repatriation who devotes all his time to the work. New Zealand has not and its plans are as yet of a nebulous character. The Government, the Minister for Finance told the country in his Budget, has been considering- for some time measures necessary for the re-establishment in civil life of the thousands of men now in the armed forces. In his opinion most of the work can be carried out by existing departments, and from the administrative point of view co-ordination and direction are the chief problems. The Government, if it remains in oliice, will find that this will be one of its most intricate tasks, for many issues are bound up with it—the men’s desires and capacity to fulfill them, tin- country’s post-war economy, the new world it is hoped to build from the years of war and which must seriously affect this country. . It cannot therefore leave anything to chance. A Repatriation Bill is to be brought down later in the session and the public will be anxious to learn the Government’s intentions. They know that the Small Farms Amendment Act was passed to provide farms for soldiers, and the Minister says the State Advances Corporation has the necessary machinery to provide loans for building homes, purchasing farm materials, and tools of trade, etc. In the meantime the War Pensions Extension Act is attending to administration of sick and wounded soldieis and •the State Placement Service is available to help those who are discharged. The matter, however, requires treatment on the broadest lines and the Bill proposes to set up a central authority. Upon its constitution will

success largely hinge, and the Government which has rightly been discussing the matter with the R.S.A. should seek the help of people qualified to assist it in this great- task. The matter goes far beyond party politics, it is one in which all the people are interested to see that the returned men are given the best opportunity to re-establish themselves in civilian life.