CANADA’S EX-SOLDIERS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 257, 30 October 1934, Page 8

CANADA’S EX-SOLDIERS

NATIONAL POLICY HOW MEN ARE HELPED [ Per Pres? Association ] AUCKLAND, Oct. 29. An outline of the national policy of Canada to help returned soldiers was given to-day by Brigadier-General A. Hoss, president of the Canadian Legion, who is on his way to Melbourne. He said that they were trying to get groups of those ex-soldiers who had established themselves to assist in finding work for men who were not permanently disabled. 'fhe average age of the returned soldier in Canada was 47 years. Men permanently unemployable received a pension of £8 a month. There were 5000 such men. The legion’s difficulty was with men who were partially disabled and those were the ones the scheme was designed to help. Canada’s soldier settlement scheme was not altogether a success, though about 1.1,000 of the 22,000 were still on the land. The loss to the Government was about £7,000,000. Adjustments and reductions of interest had been made and then an all round cut of 30 per cent in the capital cost. The latest concession was that for every £1 worth of produce a returned soldier was subsidised £1 by the Government. This was of great, benefit to the worker as against the slacker, and the Government became a true partner ot 11m returned soldier.