DEPARTMENT'S LACK OF FAITH

Chronicle (Levin), 27 May 1946, Page 2

DEPARTMENT'S LACK OF FAITH

"The subsidv would be totally inadequule even if the Government puid. rt, but to dute, thero has been no sign of the promised tvvo-thirds, "• stated a promiuent iigure in the motor trade in Wanganui, wlien asked whether the Government subsidy sclieme for reliabilitated returned serviccmen in the motor trade was satisfactory. Tlie position, it was explained, is that, in the event of an apprentice meclianie leaving his enqjloyment and joining the armed services, his enlistment does not relieve him of his respOJisibility to fuJlill his contract with his lirin. His contract holds him for a period of iive,, years which is dividel up into 10 six-montlily periods, and, irrespective of liqw long he has served in his contract, wlien hc is dischargen from, the forces he niust rencw his associafion witll liis previous employeij ]>ut as a iinal six-month apprentijce. The sclieme pro.vides ' that Ire niust re-ce'i^-e jo.urney'nmu 's wages, the firm to pay oue third of the di/i'erenee and ihe Rcliabililation Dcpartment the oilier two-tliirds. - The particul'ar iirm whicli the informant represents ' has several emplovees unuer'fhe sclienie, but the department has/Jhp to date, showed no sign of complying witli its -assimince to jiay the 'hceessary money, witli the result that tlie firm has to pay its emplovecs tlie full amount. AVlien considering that they are receiving more (hau , their expcriencp , -warrants, and the finn fs' obliged, th rough the lack of faitli of the Jiehaljilitation Department to pay the full amount, it certainly is no inducement to emjjloyers to fake on returned, nien. ; Oue expla-nation the dcpartment is allegcd to have made for its failure to comply. with its rcsponsibility, is that (he necessary fo.rms to be iillcd in have, as yet, not been priuted! >Sufely (he last year o,r two has been sufficient timo in which to iuake the necessary arrangements.