FIVE TO TEN YEARS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 93, 1 July 1946, Page 2

FIVE TO TEN YEARS

WORK OF REHABILITATION DEPARTMENT

MINISTER’S FORECAST

That the work of the Rehabilitation Department would probably continue without much abatement for the next five years and would even be of a considerable volume for ten years to come, is an opinion expressed by the Minister of Rehabilitation, the Hon. C. F. Skinner, in a statement just issued. “I think we in New Zealand can feel justly satisfied that we have been and are transforming the rehabilitation of our ex-servicemen and women from the stage of theory into actual accomplished fact,” said the Minister. “We have gone a creditable distance along the road, but much still remains to be done before we can sincerely say that the job is completed. It will probably take anything up to ten years or even more; there should certainly be plenty of work for the department for the next five'years before applications for assistance even look like slackening off.” Mr Skinner referred to the great help his department was receiving from the community generally and by the common sense attitude of the .great majority of ex-servicemen applicants themselves. "iviembers of rehabilitation committees have been and are doing a Splendid job in all parts of the country. The value of their work is not generally known; but I myself have reason to know it and to recognise the sacrifices in time and effort which they so cheerfully make,” said the Minister. “To them, much of the smooth working of rehabilitation is due.

“It is a striking commentary on the smooth working of rehabilitation in this country that the last quarterly meeting of the National Rehabilitation Council, members of Which represent people from almost all walks of life, was able to conclude its business within two hours. Members could see that the job was going forward unabated and . suggested only slight amendment here and there to particular points of policy. We should not however, become smug or complacent, because rehabilitation remains and will continue to be for some time the greatest and most far-reaching of our peacetime undertakings.”

Indicating' the recent steady rise in rehabilitation activity the Minister remarked that monthly loan authorisations had—with only ohe exception and that during the New Year holiday period—continued on the high level of over £1,000,000 since they first claimed to that figure last October. The figure for April was over £1,500,000. The trend was for an even further climb and it was hard to / say what the eventual maximum would be.

“The administrative work in connection with the advancing of such large sums can be appreciated,” said Mr Skinner. “That alone will remain for many years to come.” Reference to the eventual life of the Rehabilitation Department was also recently made in an official circular issued by the Public Service Commissioner, Mr J. H. Boyes. The Commissioner referred to attempts to obtain suitable ex-service-men from other Departments for positions in the Rehabilitation Department and stated that these attempts had to some extent been unsuccessful owing to doubts in the minds of many officers as to the probable life of the Rehabilitation department. “The Commissioner after consultation with the Government wishes to dispel any impression that the work of the Rehabilitation Department will decline substantially within the next year or so,” said the circular. “To the contrary, it 'seems certain that the work will continue to require a strong staff for at least the next five years,' and probably for ten years.”