DISABILITY CASES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 30 June 1943, Page 2

DISABILITY CASES

INDUSTRIAL SURVEY SUITABLE EMPLOYMENT FOR RETURNED MEN Wellington, This Day. Addressing the annual conference of the Disabled Servicemen’s Re-establish-ment League, which assembled to-day the Prime Minister, Mr P. Fraser, said that up to 31st March last, 3568 disability cases, that was to say, men who did not regain full employability after normay convalescence, had passed through the hands of the Rehabilitation Board. Of 1886 of these who were returned men from overseas, 1190 were already working or otherwise established in civil life. Of 1682 who had seen service in New Zealand 0n1y,1269 had been established in civil life. In all the larger hospitals and at Hanmer and Rotorua, occupational therapy tuition had been given to disabled men. This had been invaluable in hastening readjustment to new situations, and had been continued in recuperative employment, specially selected by officers of the Rehabilitation Board or the Disabled Servicemen’s Reestablishment League. Mr Fraser said the Rehabilitation Board was conducting an industrial survey to find openings suitable for disabled men and when it was completed, employers would be asked to reserve such positions for them. Suitable positions in various state services would also be reserved for them. Mr Fraser also spoke of the establishment of training centres and their w-ork and mentioned incidentally that in future the manufacture of artificial limbs would be carried out in the WelWellington training centre, and fitting rooms and repair workshops, and possibly manufacturing facilities, would be established in other main centres.—P.A.