RETURNED SOLDIERS ASSOCIATION.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16448, 2 June 1919, Page 5

RETURNED SOLDIERS ASSOCIATION.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Per Press Association.' CHRISTCHURCH, May 31. The discussion of the Organisation Conmittee’s report was continued in the morning at the Returned Soldiers’ Conference. The basis of representation which was agreed to provides that no association shall be permitted to exercise more than 20 votes. The executive was instructed not to accept affiliations of any association numbering less than 100 members, this not to apply to any association, affiliated or in process of affiliation. The Finance Committee estimated the. income or the incoming year at £3750 and the expenditure at £3883 ISs. The following officers were elected: President, Dr. Boxer; treasurer, Mr. It 3. Aldrich; executive; Auckland, Messrs Watts, Long, Pollock, and Ghing; Wellington, Messrs Batten, Harper, Curtayne, Bell, Cories, and Jacobs. Palmerston North was fixed as the centre of the district. Canterbury: Messrs. M'Callum, Deadly, Anderson, and Scott; Otago. Messrs. M'Lcan, Laing, Graham, and Miller. A motion to ask the Government to set up a commission to inquire into the question of employing permanently disabled men in Government Departments and other industries was carried.

CHRISTCHURCH, Juno 1

The conference of the Returned Soldiers’ Association was resumed’ to-day (Sunday). On the suggestion of Mr. M'Manus, Mr Batten agreed to strike out the recommendation in the repatriation report that an apprentice should not marry until ho is a competent tradesman.

A motion that all soldier apprentices should receive the award rate was lost. A further motion that disabled men learning now trades should receive award rates was also lost, Mr. Batten pointing out that this would mean a rush to the highest paid trades, in which there was no guarantee that a man would over become fully competent. The policy should be to train men to become independent of Government assistance.

It was resolved; ‘ ‘That having regard to the present great scarcity of houses in New Zealand, the conference urge on the Government the immediate and pressing necessity for State action towards buikling homes suitable for occupation by returned men and their dependents, and that it be not confined to erecting blocks of houses on special Government areas, but to distribute houses in as many quarters of the town as possible.”