MEN BACK FROM WAR

Southland Times, Issue 24769, 13 June 1942, Page 4

MEN BACK FROM WAR

Scheme for Financial Assistance (P.A.) WELLINGTON, June 12. Financial assistance may now be granted to returned servicemen even though they may not have their final discharge from the armed forces The position was made clear today by the chairman of the Rehabilitation Board, Mr M. Moohan, in reply to statements made at an executive meeting of the Dunedin R.S.A. alleging injustice to rereturned members of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force and retardation of their rehabilitation. It was stated at the meeting that no returned serviceman was entitled to assistance in the form of a housing loan unless he had a full discharge from the Army. The position, a member asserted, was impossible and it would appear that someone was dodging the matter of discharge for men, thereby retarding their rehabilitation.

“This is the actual position, Mr Moohan said. “It is correct that Section 2 of the Rehabilitation Act 1941 limits the granting of financial assistance to discharged servicemen or servicemen’s widows, and the term discharged servicemen is defined in the Act as being a serviceman who has received his discharge from any of his Majesty’s forces. When the Act was being framed it was not anticipated that the war would reach the shores of New Zealand and make necessary any departure from the established Army practice of discharging a man once he was graded unfit for active service. “Recently the Army authorities adopted the procedure of retaining on the strength of the armed forces all men who returned to New Zealand and were classified as grade three or better, and also all men discharged from camp in New Zealand with similar grading. Discharged from ‘camp’ does not mean discharged from the forces, because unless a man is classified as grade four he would not be discharged, but would be placed on leave without pay and might be called up for service in some clerical capacity should the need arise. The same remarks apply to men returned from overseas and classified as grade three or better. When the Rehabilitation Board became aware of the position the matter was submitted to the Cabinet, and authority has now been given to the State Advances Corporation to make such loans to servicemen notwithstanding that they may not have a final discharge from his Majesty’s forces.”