ACTION DELAYED

Southland Times, Issue 25736, 28 July 1945, Page 4

ACTION DELAYED

QUESTION OF FIRST FURLOUGH MEN

Members of the Invercargill Rehabilitation Committee, who have threatened to resign unless full rehabilitation benefits are granted to the men of the first furlough draft whose names appeared in the Gazette, have decided not to take any action until August 31. This was stated by Mr P. J. J. McMullan at the meeting of the District Council of the Invercargill R.S.A. yesterday. He said that if a satisfactory answer was not received to the committee’s representations by August 31 the committee would resign en bloc. The committee had decided to delay action out of respect to the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr Skinner, who in reply to the committee’s representations had indicated that he was in sympathy with the proposal that full rehabilitation benefits should be granted to the men concerned, but had stated that it was a matter of Government policy. Mx - McMullan added that Cr G. R. W. Barnes, a member of the committee, intended to ask the City Council at its meeting on Tuesday night to support him if he decided to resign from the Rehabilitation Committee. Mx- T. Hickey (Edendale) said he thought the Dominion conference of the N.Z.R.S.A. had failed in this matter by not admitting the first furlough men to membership of the association 12 months ago.