WORK FOR SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16909, 23 July 1918, Page 6

WORK FOR SOLDIERS.

CLASSES FOR INSTRUCTION. AUCKLAND TRAINING COLLEGE. Th"e work being done by tho Auckland Technical College in the direction of training returned soldiers to take up employment suitable to them in view of disablement or their changed physical condition was the subject of inquiry yesterday. The inquiry was made in consequence of statements published' in yesterday's Herald made by the secretary of the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association and the officers in charge of. the Discharged Soldiers' Employment. Bureau, regarding the increasing difficulty of finding work for returned men. Mr. George George, director nf the college, stated that at present 30 returned soldiers were attending classes at the collego. Ho believed this was the largest number for any one college in New Zealand. Many wero taking a commercial course. A few others were studying engineering, having tho use of the machines all day and being taught by two instructors. Others were learning to beconio electrical engineers and plumbers. Tho latter had partly loarnod their trade before going to the war, and were employed for portion of the day. Some of the men, who had positions in the public service, attended at night to study for public service examinations. Boot and Shoe Industry. " If a returned man comes to me for tuition in a certain line." said Mr. George, " I must ascertain whether ho is likely to succeed, and whether, after qualifying, there is likely to be an opening for him. The secretary of the Returned Soldiers' Association mentions tha.t in Australia the Government has turned a technical school into a complete boot factory to train soldiers, and lfns placed contracts there. Here we have no facilities to train men in the boot trade. Two years ago I drew up a scheme for establishing a boot and shoe-making department on these same linos. The manufacturers and employees approved the scheme, but the Government refused to provide the funds for equipment, and nothing further was done. One of the difficulties in New Zealand is that wo have not many industries using machinery of a type that men can readily be trained to operate. But tho boot and shoe industry is one in which a man can be trained in a few months to become an expert operator on particular machines, although he may have only one leg or arm. " One of the difficulties in tho way of undertaking the effective training of anylarge number of men at present is that we cannot organise special classes for soldiers. We have 568 students attending all-day classes, and soldiers have to go in with these classes. This docs not matter so much in (he workshops, but the difficulty is in the commercial work, classes in which are full and even overcrowded with voting students. If more accommodation were available we would probably be able to organise special classes and secure special instructors. The cost of this work should, of course, be met by the Government. It is a good suggestion that soldiers who require training in some particular trade or work should be drafted to one centre. Settlement on the Land.

Mr. Georgo said that there was arrowing feeling that tho greatest outlet for men returning from the front was tho land, but tho difficulty was tho men who had littl® or no previous knowledge of farming. Facilities for training were practically non-existent. About two years ago he suggested that the Government should cut up a large block of land into suitable farms, Attached to it should be a central farm, under Government management, which would be a kind of training school, at which men who had no previous experience could got a preliminary training. They would then go on their own section, continuing to use the central farm to obtain anv further training or assistance they needed. The farm would should be stocked with the latest labour* saving machinery, which the soldiers could hire. The scheme had been-strongly approved by the Board of Agriculture, and sent to the Government with a recommendation that it he given effect to, but so far no action had been taken.