NEED FOR MORE SPEED

Chronicle (Levin), 27 March 1946, Page 2

NEED FOR MORE SPEED

j REIIABILITATION OF MEN It was realised that there was need ; to inove faster in the rehabilitation of j men to satisfy returned personnel, hut j it had been found impossi ble to travel j faster than at present so that position had had to be accepted, said Mr. F. W. ' Baker, Direetor of Rehabilitation, in a brief address to the Wellington-East ! Uoast R.S.A. conference in Hastings rej cently. He expressed the hope that that I position would not exist now that the country was returning to peacetimc ■ conditions, | Referring to the immensity of the tusk of rehabilitation, Mr. Baker said | that in some of the main. lields they I would be very fortunate if they were abie to complete them within the next four or five years. " If we are able to dispose of these major problems in five years we will be 1 fortunate unless, in the interim, somei thing liappens which will change the I situafion," Mr. Baker added. "So f'ar j that has not made itself evident to me j vet. " &

In reply to Mr. A. II. Miller (Gisborne), who considered decentralisation of rehaliilitation administration would assist considerably to speed up the work, Mr. Baker said the Ministei had said at Gisborne that decentralisation w otihi be introduced when it could be done. To set up a proper decentralisatiou orgauisation it would be necessary first to have the appropriate staff, which presented an acute problem. His .own stalf at present was short of between 50 and 00 men in the £400-£550 salary group, and the State Advances and Lands Departments, whiclt were also associated in rehabilitation, were also short of staff. Referring to business laan limits in repl.v to a further question, Mr. Baker said that for luxurv ventures they would not go beyond £500, but for loans where essential services were given to the commumtv thev would go a'bove £500. Mention was made by Mr. Baker to tlic fact that the pavment of furniture loans, wliich were only small, were dropping further and further behind. The same applied to loans for tools for trade. That men should not be facing up to tlieir obligations in tinies like the present gave cause for worry.