AIDING SOLDIERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24894, 16 May 1944, Page 6

AIDING SOLDIERS

REHABILITATION TASK

ATTITUDE OF THE R.S.A.

Commenting on the statement by the Minister of Rehabilitation, the Hon. C. F. Skinner, that authority had been given "to strengthen the Rehabilitation Board by the appointment of representatives of the State Advances Corporation, Lands and Survey Department and Native Department as members," the president of the Auckland Returned Services Association, Mr. A. P. Postlewaite yestenday said that "strengthen" was hardly the word to use. "The troubje at present is that there is already far too much control by Government departments and this will probably make matters worse," he added. "What the Returned Services Association wants is to get away from the control of the administration of the Rehabilitation Act by Government departments. The first thing necessary is to give a returned man a house and a job. That is not being done and never will be done as long as the departments, particularly the State Advances Corporation, are in control." In the opinion of his association, Mr. Postlewaite added, the powers exercised by the departments should be subsidiary to those of the Rehabilitation Board and its local committees. A source of much complaint was centralisation of the rehabilitation administration in Wellington. The board should delegate authority t-o the local committees, which at present had no powers at all —not even the power to recommend. These committees, if representative of farming and business interests, employers and employees and the R.S.A. could, if given authority, do much toward expediting rehabilitation by considering individual cases on the spot. Concerning the decision of the board to set up a number of committees from board members to deal with different types of assistance, Mr. Postlewaite said this was satisfactory, as long as the chairmen of the committees were not State officers. Any departmental officer should be attached to the board ih an advisory capacity only.

CHURCH DISPUTE BAPTIST TABERNACLE CHARGES BY EXECUTIVE "The mam and most serious objection I have to the last statement of the executive of the Baptist Church of New Zealand ia that it again refers with ambiguous vagueness to certain charges against me," said the Rev. Dr. Alexander Hodge, minister of the Baptist Tabernacle, in a further statement yesterday. He added that references to .these charges left a good deal to the imagination of the public. Eight charges were given by Dr. Hodge, and they were later confirmed by a member of the executive of the Baptist Union. They were; —(1) Determination bv the minister to dominate the life of the church at all costs; (2) intolerance by the minister of criticisms and difference of opinion, and requiring 100 per cent loyalty to himself; (3) a policy of eliminating from Church work and office those who differ from him; (4) grossly unfair chairmanship and control of Church business meetings; (o) repeated misrepresentations of facts by the minister; (6) vindictiveness toward those_ who oppose him; (7) sectional discrimination between members in pastoral relationships; and (8) attempting to remove from the Church roll members of long and honourable standing in the Church and callous indifference to the spiritual wounds and suffering inflicted thereby.

MEAT RATIONING CHRISTCHURCH EXPERIENCE (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Monday The effect that meat rationing was having on killings at the city abattoir was mentioned by Mr. J. N. Clarke, chairman of the Abattoir Reserves and Milk Committee, at the City Council's meeting to-night. He said there had been a heavy decline. Mr. M. E. Lyons: Rationing is not wholly responsible. Army contracts enter into it. «s

The abattoir manager's report showed that in April 911 cattle were slaughtered,' compared with 1337 in April last year, killings of sheep dropped from 8191 to 5590 and lamb killings from 3081 to 1958. Last month 346 calves were killed, compared with 460 in April last year.

CHARGES DENIED QUESTION OF IDENTITY (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Monday The trial was commenced to-day of John Barrett, who appeared before Mr. Justice Johnston and a jury on three charges of attempting to obstruct, pervert or defeat the cause of justice by attempting to persuade jurymen to take a lenient view in an abortion case and one charge of attempting to influence a juryman by a bribe. Mr. Cunningham, for the Crown, said there were four counts relating to three jurors whom accused was alleged to have approached. Four men who were on the jury panel gave evidence that an elderly man approached them and attempted to influence their attitude toward the woman accused in the abortion case. Two of the witnesses identified Barrett as tlie man who approached them. The other two could not identify the man. Accused claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, saying he was in bed when the offences were alleged to have occurred. He disclaimed knowledge of accused in the abortion case, or of her relatives or friends. Four witnesses supported accused's statements. The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.