TRADE TRAINING CENTRES

Southland Times, Issue 25483, 2 October 1944, Page 8

TRADE TRAINING CENTRES

SUCCESS ACHIEVED BY RETURNED MEN

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, September 30. “We must always keep it in mind that in the final analysis it is a man who rehabilitates himself,” said the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr Skinner, opening the annual conference of the New Zealand War Amputees’ Association. “We can only make the facilities available and the rest is up to him.” He added that generally speaking returned men had been wonderfully successful in trade training centres, many with no previous experience in the building trade having come out of the centres and established themselves successfully as contractors. Every possible "avenue of employment for disabled men was being explored. “I am not very happy with the service given amputees in this country,” the Minister added. “We have already sent Colonel Kennedy Elliott, who is considered the best orthopaedic surgeon in New Zealand, to Roehampton, England, where he will remain as long as he considers necessary, possibly six to eight months, to study the latest methods in fitting artificial limbs. He will return via America and should be able to gain information about the work being done in the United States. We are trying to arrange for a fitter from England to be sent to New Zealand to train our own fitters, but this may not be possible as the present service given amputees in the United Kingdom is even further behind than in this country.” It had been decided to send men to England to be trained in the fitting of artificial limbs.