REPATRIATION OF SOLDIERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17504, 21 December 1918, Page 8

REPATRIATION OF SOLDIERS

WHAT AUSTRALIA IS DOING,

NEARLY £500,000 SPENT.

[Of the 412,066 Australians who had enlisted for service abroad up to the end of September, 78,544 have returned to Australia. In addition, 52,636 men had been killed or have died, and the Federal Repatriation Department has hadi to make provision for the discharged soldiers and the dependents of the : dead men. What has been done to date was set out in a report which Senator Millen laid on the table of the Federal House of Representatives some diays ago.]

The report deals with the work performed by the department from the time of its inauguration—a period of nearly seven months. Up to September SO the number of men who had enlisted in Australia for service abroad totalled, 412,066, and of that numbea: 78,544 had -been returned to Australia. Tho total discharged- in Australia at that date was 68,354, and the total discharged abroad 1699. The number of soldiers who enlisted from the different States is shown by the following table:— Enlist- Disments. charged. New South Wales ... 161.821 22,996 Victoria lli;305 ' '20,903 Queensland 57,084 9,588 South Australia ... 34,566 6.282 "West Australia 32,028. 6,399 Tasmania _ „ _ 15,262 2,167 412,066 68,334 In addition to men who have been discharged, 52,636 men had been killed or had died of wounds or sickness. The total number of persons who applied for assistance in one form or another was 34,588. The number of applicants in the different States were:—New South Wales, 8714; Victoria, 8637; Queensland, 8491; South Australia, 5571; West Australia, 2170; Tasmania, 1005. RETURNING TO WORK. Tho policy pursued by the department in dealing- with applications from returned discharged soldiers was,. wherever possible, to return those men who were fit and strong, and capable of performing the same kind of work they were engaged upon prior to enlistment, back to their former or some similar occupation. Every endeavour was made to place a man in a permanent position, and this object in the main had been accomplished. Among those who had applied for employment were a number of unskilled labourers, whom it bad been found difficult to permanently reinstate. On the other hand, some men who had been installed in position to which permanent occupancy attached had failed, either through a recurrence of ill-health or from some other reason, to retain their billets.

Summarised, the records of the employ ment section are:—

Applications received 25,345 Placed in positions 20,970 Applications lapsed or withdrawn ... 2,653 Number awaiting employment ... 1,722 A satisfactory and highly encouraging feature of the departmental organisation was that it had been able to moro than cope with the current monthly applications, and _ had succeeded in securing and maintaining a substantial reduction of the numbers awaiting employment. A "floating balance" must be brought forward from month to month, but it was to bo noted that of 25,000 applications for employment received since April 8 only 1720 applicants wore awaiting positions at October 26.

There was an increase in the number of men awaiting employment at the end of July, due principally to 1 the fact that during the early winter months many men suffered from their wounds, or from a recurrence of illness, and were forced to give up their positions, and, after resting to again seek employment. VOCATIONAL TRAINING.

_With regard to vocational training, the aim of the department was to restore or promote those who come within the classifications to the fullest degree of efficiency possible. In all cases where vocational training was provided monetary assistance was given to the trainee during the training period to enable him and his dependents to live in comfort.

In providing training facilities for widows the idea was primarily to, assist young, able-bodied women without families to equip themselves for some useful remunerative occupation, and so supplement their pensions. Although widows with children _ were not debarred! from receiving such assistance, it is the policy of the department that they should not be encouraged to undergo training unless they could make proper provision for the care of their children.

The number, of applications for vocational training that had been received was 5156 Of these 3084 bad been approved,. 1629 hadl teen either "withdrawn or refused, and 143 ■were pending. Notwithstanding' the unusual features which this educational task presented, the results which had been obtained were eminently satisfactory. . Upwards of 80 classes had! been formed in the capital cities of the State and in the more important provincial centres, and provision hud boon rnado for thfrir extension as circumstances demanded. INDUSTRIAL GROUPS. The industrial groups in which soldiers had been and were being trained is set out in the following table: — „ , , .±. Trainees. Compd. Books and! printing ... 60 10 C|erk«l ... 711 15? Olothmg 86 6 Electrical 17g 36 Engineering ~ 334- 179 Leather ... 124 76 Metal trades 67 jj Professional (includes university students) 224 52 Rural industries 181 195 Wood; 235 68 Miscellaneous 67 20 2268 794 T7~ J— J.l • i

Under tho assistance section, a large volume of work had been transacted The applications reachod 44,744, of which 36,569 or 82 per cent., were approved. • - ' The total expenditure amounted tn £370,332, of which £262.605 "was advanced bv way of gift, £101.672 by way of loan and £6055 for payment of instructors' fees and other purposes. The majority of the applications were for sustenance, which accounted for 24.096 applications, andl an expenditure of £188,602. Provision was also mado for the gift to widows m necessitous circumstances, with children• nnd totally and permanently incapacitated soldiers. of furniture up to the value of £25. This item covered an expenditure of £22.714. tho benefits being availed of by 2922 applicants.