DISABLED SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17125, 2 April 1919, Page 10

DISABLED SOLDIERS.

QUESTION OF EMPLOYMENT.

LACK ,OF OPPORTUNITY.

RETURNED MEN'S COMPLAINT

The future of permanently disabled soldiers of Auckland discharged during the war period, is the special concern of a sul-committee of the Returned Soldiers Association. There are in Auckland a large number of permanently disabled men who were discharged before any training scheme was inaugurated. A considerab a proportion of these men have no prospects fa- the future. Some are driving lifts and performing similar "blind ally" work. At a recent meeting of the eub-coramittec, the members of which axe all permanently disabled, the complaint was bitterly made that neither the Government nor the private employer had attempted to deal with th man whose injuries precluded his following his old occupation. " Speaking generally, the men have had to fight their own battle," said a member of the committee yesterday, " and usually it has been a losing battle. There certainly has been some opportunity for studying at the Technical College, but this opportunity has been far too limited. There are many classes of work which, for instance, a one-armed man could perform, but there has been little chance). Ono man, who has lost his left arm, called on thirty business firms in one day, and asked for work of any kind, but the invariable reply was that positions had to be kept open for mon not yet returned. Further, it has been the experience of others when applying for positions driving lifts, etc., to be asked what their pension was, and then offered just enough to make it possible for them to live. One man was beaten down from 30s to 25s a weak." The sub-committee, at its last meeting discussed the Patriotic Association's land settlement scheme, but deferred giving an opinion until the full details were submitted. It was decided to bring forward at the next general meeting of the aesociatirii the need for a distinctive badge for disabled men to ensure for them a certain amount of consideration when travelling. I was agreed to approach the employers of Auckland to obtain an idea of the number of disabled men they are willing to employ in various tisdes under the assisted scheme.