WOUNDED SOLDIERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13701, 3 June 1915, Page 8

WOUNDED SOLDIERS.

NEW ZEALANDERS WHT> BEOIME UNFIT FOR SERVICE.

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. When mentioning some matters connected with the- wounded rNew. Zealanders to-night, the Minister^for Defence informed a reporter that certain points had still to be considered. Norm-; ally, a man who returned from the front unfit for further service would be given his discharge at-. once, but the; Defence Department realised that this system might entail hardship m certain, cii»s, since the war pensions would not become payable until the Pensions Board had had time to 'deal with the individual cases. ;, ' "The general instruction of the officers commanding at the front'," said the Minister, "is that if a wounded man i s unfit for - : furthei> service or likely to be unfit, he is io be returned to the Dominion as soon as he is well enough to travel or a convenient opportunity offers. If, on the other hand, the wounded man is likely to recover within a reasonable time and become available for further service, he is to be kept at the hospital m Egypt or elsewhere. As a matter ',of. fact. .many of tlie New Zealand wojanded are re- J covering quickly. Some of them have returned to the front already > and others will be going there shortly. Sooner or later, there^wiU'v.be:. wounded men returning to the Dominion and provision for them will haye 1 to be made.." The Minister mentioned: that, under the arrangements already announced, the dependents- of a soldjei ; ::ijw;.ho : died at the front' would continu^- 'to drkw the allowance he had mSfle>-them from his pay until - the pens^jtiflibr., allowances, had been fixed, ■tlffmghvafituaUy the pay would cease death. " But as yet thef'e" was J n6 provision for continuing a man'srpay after; he had returned to New .Zealand. (unfit, for forther service. fTheCquistSbciV^as a big one. Many of • jbhe "i^eft'shad^ilr lets waiting for^,.themrrr D iifets iwKich they had left temporarily in 'order:, to join the forces— and 'the .fact j/uidt r a man had become; .unfit lini/-.'^ \iiiaHtary sense did not mean neceasatily. th^fc; he could not resiime , his divUia^ (pecupa 1 tion. The patriotic -c^nMnittee could render very valuable service""by finding employment for returned ,men, and he had no doubt that a good .deal would be done m that directioa^V.blit theV<;aSe. of the incapaciated soldier would have to be met. ...

The Government, added Mr Allen, had under consideration the . general question of finding emplojriMiqit for jther discharged soldiers at 'the 'close of 'the war. It had been stated alte^dy ' that certain lands would be set aside for the men who had served at the front, .and the Prime Minister hadj mentioned. .a scheme fpr placing some of %hk soldiers on fruit farms m the Auckland district; The Government realised that .arrangements must be made m «dT«*i«etfor th* ■return of the troops at %!>• «Imm ctf iIM war. and their redistribution into civilian employment. 33ie patriotic committees could undeft4ke^,,ho" r more important work than tha^ of assisting the soldiers, to secure suitable /positions at the close of the war or T 6f their terms of s.ei'vice. i.■ „.!,,.(