RETURNED SOLDIERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11504, 28 September 1915, Page 8

RETURNED SOLDIERS.

AN EMPLOYMENT REGISTER. (TIT COUNCIL TO CO-OPKKATE. A letter received by the. City Council last night from t]ie Hon A. L. Uenlman outlining the objects o! the Soldier,s Information Department, of w Inch ho had been placed in charge. To aid In in ill the. assistance of the tncii it was proposed to keep registers and ascertain what openings; thoro wore lor employment in various parts of tho Dominion. To this end ] the co-operation of the local bodies was I asked, and it was also suggested thai. ( wherever possible preference* of emi ployuient .should bo given to returned | men. Later on local, committees' might. be .set lip. It. was also sug- ' ge.sU'd that those controlling the Patriotic Funds .should communicate with tho Department beloje deciding on tho amount of grant to any returned soldier. The Mavor said that tho Minister had waited on the Wellington conferi eneo, which had pledged itself unanimously to render the assistance asked lor and co-operate with the Department in every way. lie thought tho council might keep a. register of all iirms who were prepared to help in the direction of finding employment. He moved that tho council should pledge itself cheerfully to co-operate with tho Government in its humane endeavour to help the returned soldiers.. Councillor W. H. Cooper seconded the motion. Councillor 1"). G. Sullivan suggested that the Government should seek the eo-oporation of the trades unions, us the question of preference would have to be settled in considering employment. -Ti, Councillor J. R. Havward, said that ho hoped that no question of preference to unionists would be considered ill connection with returned soldiers. Councillor Sullivan said that awards wero a matter of law. and it was only because he believed that tlie unions would assist in getting over any difficulty that he had suggested co-opera-lion - . . » The motion was carried, and a special committee, consisting of the chairmen of the council's committees, was set up to deal with the matter.