REPATRIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 26

REPATRIATION.

PROGRESS RETURN. The number of returned soldiers on the department’s register totalled 42,012 on the 20th April. This includes 16,247 men who have returned to the dominion since the beginning of the year. Demobilisation cards are now held by the district repatriation officers as follows: Auckland 5,513 Wellington ... 6,446 Canterbury 2,887 Otago 2,748 17,594 These figures include cards for somo 1300 men who returned prior to 1919 and have applied for assistance from the department. Already 239 loans, totalling £51,500, to assist discharged soldiers to star.t in business have been approved fay the Ministerial Board, and during the past month approximately £20,000 was actually paid on behalfof soldiers in the way of furniture, tools, business, sustenance, training fees, subsidised wages, assistance to apprentices, etc. Of the business loans, 65 were granted in the Auckland district to the amount of £15,593; 92 in the Wellington district to the amount of £19,706 ; 52 in the Canterbury district to the amount of £9897; and 50 in the Otago district to the amount of £6219.

The Wellington office found most billets for soldiers, and the Christchurch office has paid the. largest amount of sustenance grants.

The returns show that fewer men are receiving training in new trades in Canterbury than elsewhere, but it is expected that the next progress return will show a big increase in both the Canterbury and the Otago figures. The total number now being trained by the department is 336. Of the men returned by recent transports a large proportion indicated that they had their old .billets to return'to. Of the remainder, a number, being fit and well, readily found employment for themselves, and the department during the month secured billets for 455 men who applied for such assistance. Two hundred and fortyfive men sought financial assistance during the month to enable them to start in business, and 262 applied for grants for furniture and of trade, etc.