DISABLED SOLDIERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3335, 13 February 1918, Page 48

DISABLED SOLDIERS

QUESTION OF RE-EMPLOYMENT. A REPLY TO CRITICISM. Numerous resolutions have been passed by Labour unions throughout New Zealand of late protesting against the, provision of the Order-in-Uouncil providing tor the suspension of "The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1908," and its amendments, and of all awards and industrial agreements in so far as they prevent or restrict tho training and employment ot discharged sojdiers in certain industries. The unions have expressed tho opinion that the proposals -covered by the Order-in-Council are re-actionary in' character and calculated (1) To placo Uie discharged soldier at the mercy of those who may bo unscrupulous enough to- take advantage of his positionarid pension; (2) to place autocratic powers in tho hands of the inspectors of factories; and (3) to undermine and reduce the standard of living of the workers generally. . The Minister in charge of the department, in 'replying to one particular body has (the Post says) written as follows: . "Regarding the resolution passed by your society in connection with the recent Order-in-Council covering the training and employment of partially disabled sodliers, I think it is desirable that I should take the opportunity of presenting to your union a brief statement of the actual position, the publication. of which might, _ I think, help to remove the misapprehensions which appear to have arisen. "With this object in view, I submit for your consideration the following summary : (1) The provisions of the Order-in-Coun-cil are limited to the. training and employment of disabled soldiers incapable of working efficiently at their previous occupations. (2) The major portion of the Order-in-Council deals exclusively with training. So far as this matter is concerned, the sole object is to give sanction to a system of training under which the soldiers' wage during the period of training will be subsidised by the Government by such amount as will raise the wages during that perod to the minimum award rate in the industry, subject to a maximum of £3 per week. " (3) The application form to be filled up by every disabled soldier desiring training sets forth fully the terms on which tho subsidy will be paid. (A copy of this form is enclosed, together with a leaflet setting out the salient features of the scheme which has been drawn 'ftp.) (4) The whole scheme has been formulated with a view to assisting disabled soldiers incapacitated from following thenprevious occupations to learn new trades, thereby helping men who have suffered grievously in the service of their country to become once more useful and independent members of the community. (5) Before the wages to be paid during the period of training are fixed by the Inspector of factories he is required by the Order-in-Council to give the union concerned a reasonable opportunity of expressing .its views, and as the wages so ■ determined will form the basis of the Government's subsidy the arrangement is to be approved by the Minister in Charge of the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department, or by a responsible officer specially authorisecf by him'for that purpose. (6) In instructions which have been issued in connection Avith the scheme, special stress has been laid on tho fact that the solo object to be borne in mind by those administering it is the permanent welfa.re of the soldier. (7) In assessing the wages which the soldier is to receive during the period of training, .the amount of pension he has been granted is not to be taken into account. I am asking the Rig-ht Hon. the Minister of Labour to emphasise this point to Inspectors of Factories, and to direct that the wage is to be assessed solely on the basis of the soldier's value to his employer, and that no questions are to be asked regarding his pension. (8) The last two clauses of the Order-in-Council (Nos. 8 and 9) simply re-enact tho provisions of an Order-in-Council dealing with the employment of discharged soldiers under under-rate permits, which ha« been in force since January, 1916, and in respect of which none of the evil effects contemplated b} r the resolution have manifested themselves up to the present time. Reference to tho union concerned is prescribed in exactly the same form as in the previous Order-in-Council, the only change being an authority for the Inspector to issue a temporary permit ponding consultation with tho union and other formalities. This; temporary permit cannot be for a longer period than one month, and is designed to enable the man to get to work at once whilst inquiries are being made, instead of his bavins' to wait about "in idleness. (9) To sum up —(a) the, new matter of the Order-in-Council relates to a generous , scheme of assistance to disabled soldiers during training; (b) outside the question of training tho Order-in-Council merely re-enacts provisions which have been in foroo since January, 1916; (c) the principle of temporary permits is introduced tho man to get to work at onoe whilst inquiries are being prosecuted. " I trust that on reconsideration your union and other Labour bodies throughout the dominion will recognise that the unfavourable anticipations which have been formed with respect to tho Order-in-Council have been based on a misapprehension of it 3 purport. Speaking on the general question of the interest of invalided soldiers, it appears to me that if Labour unions are not prepared to give cordial help to schemes introduced for improving the prospects in life of tho disabled men, the outlook for these victims of the war will bo a very gloomy one."