EMPLOYMENT BONDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26541, 16 August 1947, Page 8

EMPLOYMENT BONDS

REHABILITATION. BURSARS APPLICABLE TO OVERSEAS STUDENTS Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, Aug. 15. Bonds which have been signed by rehabilitation bursars receiving fulltime education assistance at New Zealand university colleges will be waived by the Rehabilitation Board, which has aiso decided not to require such bonds from new bursars in the future. This decision does not apply to overseas bursars, who will still be requited to return to New Zealand to continue in the practice of their professions for a period equal to the term of the assistance given. Making this announcement to-night, the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr Skinner, explained that bonds had required full-time university bursars to pursue their courses diligently and to practise their professions in New Zealand for at least the period of assistance granted. In the case of ex-servicemen studying in New Zealand, the bonds applied only to those students receiving full-time assistance for two years or more, and it had not been customary to ask students to sign them until their bursaries had been extended into the second year. “The institution of these bonds was an honest attempt to encourage highlyqualified ex-servicemen who had been assisted by the board to make their greatly-needed services available to tlie country for as long as possible. ’ said Mr Skinner. “It was merely a general obligation which was considered justified by the assistance rendered. Although the board still feels it was justified in requiring bonds, the matter has'since been raised in Dunedin, and investigations throughout New Zealand have shown that, although a large proportion of the bursars liable have actually signed the bonds, some clgim that they were until recently unaware of this provision and are now reluctant to comply with it. Therefore, in a desire to be scrupulously fair to everyone, it has been decided to waive these bonds altogether except for overseas bursars who have all, without question, signed a bond undertaking to return and practise their professions in New Zealand for a period at least equal to the term of their bursaries.”