DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2602, 26 October 1915, Page 6

DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

UNEMPLOYMENT & RELIEF AUCKLAND'S GOOD SCHEMES A statement about his plans for finding employment for discharged soldiers as ttiey return from tho front was made by the Hon. A. L. Herdmau yesterday. "As you know," eaid Mr. Herdman, "I went to Auckland to endeavour to arrange with gentlemen of that City to assist in tinding employment for returned soldiers resident in the Auckland Province. It is useless to attompt to do our work successfully in Wellington unless we get the warm co-opera-tion of the influential people living in different parts of New Zealand. This wo certainly got in Auckland. Tho Mayor (Mr. Gunson), Mr. Parr, M.P., Messrs. George Elliot, Bankart, Larner, and Spragg met me and enthusiastically .agreed to undertake to act as agents of the Discharged Soldiers' Department throughout the Auckland province. Tho Labour Department will help tho local oommittee of business man and I am certainly looking forward to good practical work being done. "The modus operandi will be something like this: From our register in Wellington we will extract all the information which wo possess about Auckland soldiers who want employment, and who reside in that province. This information will be transmitted to the Auckland Qommittee. The men will be interviewed, every case will be carefully considered, and local efforts will bo made to place the men. Weekly progress reports will be sent to the Head Offico at Wellington, and thus wo shall, I hope, be able to keep, our register up to date.

"The Auckland organisation for tlie management of Patriotic Funds, and for giving relief to dependents seemed to mo to be excellent. The Mayor informed me that he had practically arranged to amalgamate tlia whole of tho Auckland Patriotic Funds. When his 'scheme is completed there will be one central controlling committee, with branches scattered throughout tho Auckland Province. The branches of this organisation will be available for the purpose of rinding employment for sqldiors out of work. I was specially struck with tho care that is being taken by tho Patriotio Committee in dealing with applications for relief by soldiers and dependents. A relief committee sits periodically as a board, and inquires minutely into eaoh ca6o and obtains tho report of a visiting sister familiar with the looality in which the applicant resides. The investigations are conducted in a thoroughly businesslike fashion, and from the glimpse into tho operations of the Eolief Committee which I was privileged to get I was firmly convinced that its members aro doing work of great vnlue. "I am leaving for Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill to-night, and I hope before my return to make arrangements with the citizens of these places to assist in carrying on the work of the Discharged Soldiers Department upon principles similar to those agreed upon with tho committee in Auckland."