RETURNED SOLDIERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21985, 21 June 1933, Page 9

RETURNED SOLDIERS

DOMINION CONFERENCE i i INTERESTS OF DISABLED MEN (Peg United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 20. The seventeenth annual conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association opened to-day. The delegates were welcomed'to the city by the Mayor (Mr T. C. A. Hislop). Sir Andrew Russell (Dominion president) was in the chair, and the Acting Prime Minister (Mr_J. G. Coates) attended the opening session as representative of the Dargaville Association. at The Minister of Defence and Pensions (Mr J. G. Cobbe) said he was not a returned _ soldier, but was present at the suggestion of Mr Coates, because of his direct interest in the affairs of the association. He referred to the work of the disabled men. During a visit south he formed the opinion that not enough was being done to display the goods made by disabled men, and, as a result of representations to a leading Christchurch retailer, arrangements had been made to display goods to the best possible advantage. He felt that Similar arrangements should be made in other centres. There was no reason why a large business should not be built up. Sir Andrew Russell, ! in the course of his speech, said that in the matter of the rehabilitation of disabled men there was no one in New Zealand who .took a keener or more sympathetic interest than Mr Cobbe, and he deserved the sincere thanks of all returned men.

Seconding the motion for the adoption of the report, Mr W. E. Leadley (Christchurch) expressed the opinion that the increased membership was an indication that ex-servicepieu were awakening to a realisation that the organisation was vitally necessary to guard their welfare. He believed that there was no organisation in the country which had done more to relieve unemployment, and he thought it was a pity that these efforts were not more appreciated by the Unemployment Board, The report, as a whole, indicated that the fortunes of the association were on the up grade, and he believed that they would continue to improve if members adhered to their high ideals of comradeship and service. It was decided to send fraternal greetings to the New Zealand Red Cross Society, expressing appreciation of the work of that body in the interests of returned men and their dependents. The following resolution was moved by Colonel R. F. Gambrill (Gisborne) and carried; —“That while appreciating the consideration which has been given to single ex-servicemen with dependents, and widowers with children in certain districts, this council requests the Unemployment Board to make this practice uniform throughout the Dominion and not require such men to take work in camp, which necessitates their absence from home for long periods.” A Dunedin remit was affirmed emphatically protesting , against the emergency unemployment tax of Is in the £1 being levied against any moneys of the R.S.A. which are used to give additional work and sustenance to unemployed exservicemen and also to those who are physically unfit to work under the No. 5 scheme. A Christchurch remit was endorsed to the effect that returned soldiers in receipt of pensions up to 17s 6d a week should be eligible for the issue of rations by the Unemployment Board when no work is available.

After a full discussion the following Christchurch remit was carried:-/* That, in view of the increasing number of unemployed returned soldiers who are living in circumstances of dire poverty and distress, the Canteen Funds Board be requested to make a sum of £25,000 available for the relief of unemployed returned soldiers during the ensuing 12 months.” < .

A Dunedin remit was approved asking the Government, in view of the large number of returned soldiers engaged in prospecting for gold, to exempt from the export tax of 12s 6d an ounce all prospectors working under subsidy from the Unemployment Board.

Considerable discussion centred on a Christchurch remit urging the Minister of Employment to restore the 10 per cent, cut on relidf work so far as returned soldiers are concerned. The remit was heavily defeated.

The plight of the increasing number of returned men who are breaking down in health and are unable to prove that their disability is attributable to war service was discussed at length. Mr W. Cayley Alexander. (Te Kuiti) gave statistics showing that each year’s war service took three years off a soldier’s life. He said that 412 returned soldiers had died in New Zealand last year at an average age of 46 years. It was decided to request the executive of the association to consider during the year some scheme by which these men might be permanently assisted.. «

The increasing burden thrown upon the National War Funds by relieving distress among ex-imperial soldiers was mentioned. Since the war the council has paid out £7OOO for the relief of Imperial soldiers in the Dominion, and only £5900 had been received from the Limited Services Fund. The Wellington 11.5. A. last year paid £3OOO for, the relief of unemployed returned soldiers, and of this sum 20 per cent, had gone to ex-imperial soldiers. There are 20,000 ex-imperial soldiers in New Zealand. Mr W. Perry (vicepresident) said that Mr L. O. H. Tripp, a member of the New Zealand War Funds Council, was at present in England, and would go into the matter with the Empire Service League.