REPATRIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12646, 2 June 1919, Page 3

REPATRIATION.

CONFERENCE DELIBERATIONS. The Repatriation Committee of Ih Returned Soldiers’ Association Confm onco in its report on Saturday stale that employment at present was undei taken by the Repatriation Hoards. Th machinery for bringing together om ployor and soldier already existed, an nuich good work had been done, but th present position was sufficiently gray to cause apprehension for the future Numbers of roturued soldiers wore ou ot work. The committee rocommendod " that as a cet era!, principle all womjjn who have taken u appointments vacated by soldiers on joinin . JMow Zealand Expeditionary Forces, xt tiro m favour of those soldiers or any otht “rpi ? rs . ca P a blo of fulfilling their duties. 1 fins ut an emergency measure,” said th committee. “ in view of the urgent nocossit lor ro-settlnijf the soldier with the least po; Mole delay. The os tout to which this nil is applied measures the extent of the iailuv to properly recover from the war.” The con: init.eo had here departed from the genera m o that repatriation at the co-st of displaciti others was not true repatriation, was unius and economically unsound. Certain measure to meet JJio situation were proposed. Whils , iceung that the apprentice should not marr un.il he is a competent tradesman, the coni mittoo conaidorad that: “Where a uiarrioi apprentice is completing his indentures undo this scheme the sustenance nllowanoo and no the £3 fiat rate should apply/' With rc gain to disabled men being trained in nev Trades, whose wages are brought up to £ per week, exclusive of pensions, half the sub tudy being retained as deferred pay, the com nutteo considered that: "The Kepalriatioi Committee should have lower to assess wha portion of the subsidy should bo retained and that a flat rate of half the subsidy wouk lead to hardship in some cases.” Respecting a Anpier remit—“ That matriculation be dispensed with as fat as returned men studying for professions are concerned,” the committee stated that a scale of sustenance allow;mce tor students had been laid dow'n, Matriculation was dispensed with where it prevented professional studies. Loans up to £SO, free of interest, an mado to enable soldiers to purchase tools it start work. The provision seems adequate Loans- of £3OO are granted to soldiers t( start -in' business where the soldier estab lishes a claim on the State. The commits considers: That the maximum should b( i ■ booause experience has showi tnat -dOO is in some cases inadequate— £10( *„°* , ; d nH f , r u c ot ' interest.” It ohould fc, up.ed that the actual amount required ir such case is always assessed by the Rcpa iTiatioii Committees—it is not considers that citato assistance should bo the moans of onabling anyono to capitalise the laboui °, the «- There is no bar to the establish ment of co-operative businesses and partner sUips, provided the maximum per man ii not exceeded. That all applications for urban • and suburban properties, as distincl ironi rural lauds, come under the administra npiy of the Repatriation Department.” The existing provisions for furniture seem good but it is considered:-"That the maximum , raiß ,®f l t0 ~ 7 J’ which is the lowest amoun: that will provide lor kitchen, living-room ami Dcuroom. As numbers of soldiers will i-t under long periods of treatment, the com mittee . recommended; “That provision L< made to cover undischarged soldiers under- |; 'omg »mg periods of medical treatment.' Widowed mothers should be eligible undei lim Repatriation Act,” The committee recommended more re pro f :eutst, o „ of local Returned Soldiers’ T/sonations on Repatriation Boards. • com mitloe reported that, with the i.aodihcations suggested, the provisions made .or the civil re-establishment of the soldiei wore, fair and reasonable. As in most State 1 ° i artl j 0 ' !lE k t l -° ma °hinery was at times rendered ineffective, or .less effective Him it could be, by the attitude of departmental ofpoHcy M by aC{ of . a doflllito constructive pol . ; °>' of procedure in the led- eeSlml w “ a . d f entral >sation. Noverthelea., cenl-ia control was necessary in matters ot policy, though not in individual bS S, Wbloh .*? r ° m m? er3 of i ud Sment of the local committees. The present control was Tmf Whifi w ar . d u°‘ f °" r for P° lic y ' ■ hlc , I ? cal boar d,i generally (there Ministerial* w° b j ex^ p . tl ? ns > bad found the Board administer the Act in n ■ioTf wir v C „e ma f n6r L tho laok a national post-war reconstruction policy was already foil iii tiio patter of employment and e?tabWMn it was realised that the four Ministers controlling the D->-pprtmynt wore previously .(presumably) fully occupied, this was not surprising. It is considered ;—(l) “ That one Minister should be appointed solely to control a Reconstruction and Repatriation Department.” (2) “Tint a, .ooard of four, presided over liy the said Minister, should be set up. Such four memhers should include three business men (semoß SA 611 ' SUlt , ab 1 1 - lity „ to tllQ work) and ' of sur’b ' i'J epro f ntatlv <>-” (3) “The duties of .such boai a should bo to draw up and administer a policy of reconstruction and expansion of industries.” The full introduced t H3 con . t . r ° l repaired new legislation but the committee considered:—“ That -i t ouca set up to forma--ate a policy on the lines of the draft scheme drawn up by the executive which is here set J a .u£* i W Bg a r rß - ft Soieme - tb ® be--m Thi 10 ,- P rcl ‘ mina jr considerations- to Interns to / J(! -°V- 60, recurrent war charge" interest and smkmg fund, pensions, etc (hi to repair economic wastage of capital during 'md nrorir ° fj' aise - thu standai 'd of livin•wPy i dt * 1 °- bousing reform, (d) to place ■ Z Ml''-nd m a sound position for tlm coming economic struggle. U (2)-The extreme difficultv.- of securing unity of action for each individual i Si primary or secondary and for iZ fD* the best community advantage- (c Z Z SS a diffi«,!tl“ 1 “ flr exp6dUiollaly with indus-’ teOrs&zrn as sS duoTo th th °/V -sottled o distribute the available man-power to the t-1) The need of immediate action in view of Hie return of the whole army at aa early ol ,le .(1) The Government to remiire the -rev,,, ZT s: ( . b) ca P ita! ' W tariffl (d)a « supplementary industries ■ CS aly »hiot .hell volved and include the best expert advice .£,amahle the conference to examine and riff 1 ! 0 ICp -° rts TCith the object of 'formcon&tructivo production poliov for *ho mkeTTvri l^ 1 ' p»ticuiaW" 0 :- r aila - bk ■State capital for the initiation of dS mcn,_of industry; ( c ) The establishment cf new industries; (d) The desirability “f state ownersbp °i particular industries or services - (c) a Do.nmon scheme of hvdro-eler-i-i,-nower; (f) a unified scheme of reading riui-■'’-aya and communications generally; ( E ) f,.. ca! policy ter the Dominion; (hj) recommendations for policy. 1 j3) The report to bo immediately considered bj-RarLament, whose decision shall bo cmuartminf n poll ? y - of Repatriation D™ partmont, Tho existing Repatriation Boa-ds and committees ehould I>e able to m Ve considerable assistance in the gatheriucr , r> . formation and in adapting general policy to local needs. It was felt that only by such K Sloans would the permanent solution of the patnation problem be possibio, and (be nefit of such a Wat--onal policy as that fuggested would bo reflected in the whole future of !Naw Zealand. With regard to a sustenance scale the committee set forth the following;— ’ Present Proposed scale. scale. ‘ r £ B. d. £ E. d. .Man and wne . . . t! 13 o 2 15 0 Mau and wife and 1 child . 2 15 c, 3 ;j o Man and ‘2 children . 2 1!) o ?, in 0 Man and wife, 3 children 3 2 (1 3 Rl o Man and wife, -V children .300-10 (i Om Mr M’Manus’s suggestion Mr JJatten agreed to st-riko out the rocoinuiendation in the repatriation rejiort tlmt an apprentice should not marry until ho was a competent tradesman. A. motion that all soldier-apprentices ahonld receive the award rate was lost A further motion that disabled men learning new trades should receive award rates was also lost, Mr Batten pointing out that this would mean'a ru'sh to the highest waid trades, in which there was no guarantee that a, man would ever become fully competent, whereas the policy should be to train men to become independent of Government assistance. The conference affirmed the principle that the maximum urant for businesses

should ho increased from £3OO to £SOO with £IOO free of interest. on , bho subject of control, Mr Batten said that repatriation to no properly handled, must not be -it the expense of the other people; or it as not repatriation. Every woman put out of employment was" unjustly tieatecl, hut it had to be done heenucc soldiers out of work in large numbers were a menace to the community. The problem was reconstructionLm this subject he quoted a special message from. ’Wellington. regarding which the Hon A- M. Myers had urged the need for increased production, with improved methods and greater efforts, and had stated that the resources of the Dominion were inexhaustible and that by cordial co-operation between capital and Labour the annual income might be increased to meet the country’s additional obligations twice over' The Munster of Finance, the Returned Soldiers Association, the Chambers of Commerce and everybody else urged th-; need for the expansion of industries and reconstruction, yet nnthino- h a ] been done. The matter was not academic, as had been said, find such a scheme as the committee had outline 1 would find employment for soldiers and women too. The principle was" a- full opportunity for all. He asked the conference to treat the matter broadly. Mr Batten said that the board o f four was not intended to consist of professional board-sitters, of whom there wore too manv already, getting a -Jr 111 ? drawing their guineas. Leadjey, moved that the hoar 1 should consist of two business men and two representatives 0 f the Returned bolcliers Association. This was agreed to. n Tho report as amended was adopted.