WORK FOR EX-SOLDIERS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1929, Page 13

WORK FOR EX-SOLDIERS

AUCKLAND ADVANCES PLAN

SIMILARITY TO CORPS IN BRITAIN.

POSITION OF SOUTH AFRICAN MEN.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. The tribunal appointed by the Government to inquire into the position of disabled or partly-disabled ex-soldiers commenced its Auckland sitting to-day, Mr. J. 8. Barton, S.M., presiding. It decided to call itself the “Returned Soldies’ Rehabilitation Commission.”

Captain James Stiehbury, commander and secretary of the King’s Empire Veterans’ Association in Auckland, put forward a claim on behalf of the survivors of the old Armed Constabulary forces and military pensioners. The latter received now a pension of £4 Is 8d a month, which he suggested should be brought up to £5. The Armed Constabulary men .received only the old-age pension and it was urged they should be treated in the same way as the military pensioners in recognition of their services in the Maori Wa.s. Their number in .Auckland district he estimated at 10 or 50.

Major T. P. Halpin, president of the Auckland branch of the South African Veterans’ Association, claimed that the mon who served in South Africa had been treated less liberally than either the Maori War veterans or those who served in the Great War. The association asked that the South African pension should be grant d on the same basis as in the case of the Maori War soldiers, that the pension should be given before the age of 65 where there was disability, not necessarily war disability, that financial assistance should be given to them as workers or as settlers on the lines of the” Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act and that an economic pension should be granted to those who by reason of slight disability could undertake only casual or light work. He suggested employment should be provided for veterans on railways and tramways and by racing clubs and sporting bodies. The probable number oi survivors of the South African forces in the Dominion he estimated at 4000.

ABSORBING UNEMPLOYED. A comprehensive statement prepared by the committee of the Auckland Returned Soldiers’ Association was submitted by Major-General Sir George Richardson, chairman of the committee. This referred to the serious problem of devising some means of absorbing nearly 400 unemployed partly disabled ex-ser-vice men in this district. There were very few cases of partly disabled men who were absolutely unemployable. About 95 per cent, could be employed In • some capacity and the committee considered the majority could be usefully absorbed in light public service jobs. As a result of answers to a questionnaire received from 1265 ex-soldiers it was found that 1090 expressed preference for a pension scheme as distinguished from any institution for aged and indigent ex-service men and 178 desired the establishment of an institution. As to “fit men” the committee stated that there were numbers of ex-servicemen who partly from their age and partly owing to their war service were to-day unemployed and, being unable to perform heavy labour, could not be placed by the Labour Department, These eases were deserving of help and in any scheme that might be devised they should be considered.

Organisations in England, notably the corps of commissionaires, primarily formed to provide employment for disabled men only, had subsequently extended their scope to include men past middle age and of good character. The committee then gave, an outline of a scheme for the formation of an ex-service friends’ association to be constituted on the lines of the corps of commissionaires in Great Britain and to be controlled by a board of governors giving their services voluntarily, who would arrange employment for members. An agreement setting forth conditions of employment would be signed by both employer and man. Wages would be settled according to the nature qf the work. A special uniform would be worn by men holding certain positions such «as caretakers, messengers and other than office duties. The corps would be a civil institution with semi-military organisation.

Regarding the canteen funds, amounting approximately to £200,000, • the committee considered that their corpus should be maintained at the present sum and that all interest for the next J en years at least should be allocated proportionately to the various returned soldiers’ associations for assistance of necessitous' cases and other methods of relief.

Mr. Barton described the statement a* an exceedingly valuable contribution to the commission’s investigation. The commission has adjourned until to-morrow.