INCAPACITATED SOLDIERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17504, 21 December 1918, Page 10

INCAPACITATED SOLDIERS

QUESTION OF UNDERRATE PERMITS,

CONFERENCE TO BE HELD.

In response to a notice issued by the secretary of tho Dunedin Returned Soldiers' Association convening* ;l conference to be held in the association's room in JJowluig street last night to discues tho question ol issuing ■under-rato permits to returned soldiers, tho following delegates were present:—Returned ™ , rs '. Association—Messrs W. Clark, G. ? ... Smith, W. E. EiirqiVnarson, J. 11. M pougall, and Captain it. i J . .Jones; Otago Labour Council—Messrs M. Silverstone and i < m V°P°' Employers' Association —Mr E. C. li-azlett; Amalgamated Society ol Engineers— Messrs S. j. and A. J. Rice; Bootmakers' Association —Air S. C. Bro\..i. secretary of tho Otago Patriotic and Well are bocioty wrote stating that owing to tho shortness of tho notice tiio itssociation wua unable to send delegates, ril • Labour Council submitted the lollowing report upon tho essential requirements of any scheme of repatriation and employment of returned soldiers: — 1. liiat tho present Order-in-Council be revoked, and ibo substituted by an agreement between tho Government and the 1' edeiation of Labour for the purpose ot providing the best lacilities for tlie employing ot incapacitated soldiers either as underrate workers or learners; such agreement to bo then made into an under clause 35 of "ilio Regulation of Trade and Commerce Act, 1914." 2. Wages shall be fixed by tho employer, discharged soldier, Government representative, and a a-acle union representative in the industry m wnitli such soldier is to bo cmp oyed (hereinafter termed tho Soldiers' Employment Board). 3. Wages to be further regulated by tho abovo parties.

4. The total wages, inclusive of the Government subsidy, paid to the returned soldier shall not be less than the minimum w-ag*e operating in the industry. 5. Tho differenco between the sum paid by the employer as wages and the minimum ra„o of wages obtaining in the industry shall be borne by the State, to be met by a direct tax on tho land values in tho dominion.

6. Tho minimum rate shall be exclusive ot any pension the returned soldier may receive. During the currency of an underrate permit or the period of apprenticeship of a returned soldier tho Pension Board Srned'soTdiT Paid t0 SUch

7. Tho period of apprenticeship or the currency 0 f a permit shall bo estimated as m?HI 2 10 fcl i Gy ,™ cre first granted and until the returned soldier is declared a competent worker.

8. All pensions shall be fixed prior to the granting of an under-rate permit or the tStlfe ° f aPPrGntiCeship of a re "

o A„ Shcru ! d a returned soldier be employed as an under-rate worker or a learner in an lils U fnt y i Is ,"° t governed by. an award i Va p S sh , aU not fall brfow £3 per week, including tho State subsidy. in? k fr^i Ume s ° ldlGr who is «ither loarn°L wor ' aD ff , under an under-rate pcimit shall bo under the direct supervision of the Returned Soldiers'' Department and ll ¥W l th°' dlCra ' Employment Board. •jU • 6 , t! ? ere 13 no trade union in an employer/ 1 * >^ Ch a return «l soldier mav be employed either as an under-rate worker £ ikce°nf f 1 tra - d f S council &hall act aforesaid trade union. 1, other conditions operating in in award shall equally apply to a di^har^d woier " h f ther WO F kin S underrate worker or learner who may from time to Mr m ! der .. VV. Clark who presided, stated th.ntmtr^f 1 "™ 7 the question of the issusofdißrf t w f rato Permits to returned soldiers that it was proposed to discuss. The Government paid £i pej- IV eek for 12 months to incapacitated soldiers, who were In'rTl+T/ n ° US tradeS ft teclmical colleges; and in this connection lie wished to draw attention to the attitude of the inspector of factories and the director of technical train- , J - ho issuing of permits interested only two persons—tho inspector of factories and the employeo*. In a number of cases men who had only just commenced their training in the technical school were sent by tho director of technical training to work m motor _ garages without receiving any remuneration from the employers. This meant that for the greater part of 12 months many men did not receive a penny more than what was really a Government subsidy fof £1 per week. The Returned Soldiers Association was going to do its utmost to protect the interests of the men wno had fought for their country. E. C. Hazlett said that owing to insufficient notice of the meeting lie was tho only member of the Employers' Association who was able to be present. The matter of under-rate permits to returned soldiers who had been incapacitated had been under consideration by the Employers' Association for at least a month, and the matter was to be discussed at the annual meeting of the association, which was being held in Wellington at the present time. Mr H. Clark, who was a member of the Employers' Association, and who was also on the board of management of the Technical College, had gone to Wellington for the special purpose of bringing the matter before the conference. He (the speaker) could not enter into a discussion on the question until the executive of his association had submitted its report. The employers were just as much interested in the matter as any of the delegates present, and ho feuggnsted that the conference bo adjourned till a later date to enable tho meeting to ijx? of a more representative nature. > Messrs Elston and Silverstone spoko in favour of the question being discussed at the present meeting, the latter suggesting that a general scheme of repatriation should also bo discussed.

Mr _ Clark pointed out that a repatriation scheme was being formulated by the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association, and therefore the Dunedin 'branch, which numbered 1100 members, was not prepared at present to discuss this question. After further discussion" it was decided to adjourn the conference till January 10, to enable the employers' representatives to be. present. It was also deoided to ask the Manufacturers' Association, the Ironmasters' Association, and the Motor Garage Proprietors' Federation to send two delegates each to the conference.

Messrs Clark, Brown, and Elston were appointed to wait on the inspector oE factories and (request that only temporary undcr-rato permits be granted in the meantime.

It was also decided to request that no more men be drafted from the Technical College to privato employment without a permit.