WORK FOR SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2698, 18 February 1916, Page 3

WORK FOR SOLDIERS

NEW DEPARTMENT'S OPERATIONS . COMPLETE ORGANISATION DESCRIBED A new Government Department which is doing good work and has an exceedingly busy time ahead of it is the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department, the offices of which are in Aitken Street. It-was inaugurated ion August 21,1915, under the control of the Hon. 51r. • Herdmau, and the instructions given to Mr. W. B. Hudson, secretary of the Government Life Insurance Department, who superintends the ■work, were that every returned soldier ivus to be looked after in the matter of obtaining suitable employment. The officer-in-iharge is Mr. J. 11. Samson, and the zeal wliish both these gentlemen have shown, as well as the results they have already achieved augurs well for the successful placing of returned soldiers in employment suitable for them. Already 1386 cases have been disposed of, while every day sees further applicants comfortably' placed.

Systematic) Methods. The Department is run on systematic methods. At the ' time of* its beginning 'there were over 700 returned soldiers scattered throughout the Dominion.' To get into touch with them was a. long and . tedious process, in wJiich the records of the Defence Department were a material assistance. With this initial obstaj'e overcome, tho -work proceeded briskly. Every trans- . jjort was met by two officers of the new department, who noted down oil cards the necessary particulars of.the men on fooard. In the case of some of tho early .transports there was' a rusi of work, ■and the officers often worked 1 14 hours • a day- Since then, by. the courtesy of -the Defence Department, most of these particulars are entered up on lists irliile ithe ships are at sea. The officerSj on the ships' arrival, complete these lists, and if fclte vessels arrive in other ports .•than Wellington the . lists are imme•.diately sent here. A voluntary staff then copies ths particulars on the cards.. This voluntary staff consists of nbout a dozen uen from the Government Life Insurance Department, ;ivho are over military age, and are desirous of lielping_ their country. The cards arc sorted into districts; in each /sJistrict there is a oommittee, and lists ■-of the men in each district are sent to '•.the respective committees. There are committees . at Auckland, Gisijwne, Napier, Hastings, Danne'•.virke, Stratford _ (representing Taraaiaki), Wangamri, Marton, Taiihape, Feilding, Palmerston North, Mas'vterton, Nelson,, Blenheim, Ohrist•chnrciL, Ashbnrton, Timaru, Gerymoutli, fflrmedin, and Invarcargi.il. The committees at Auckland. Christchursh, Dunediti, and Invercargill are in correspondence with sub-committees in the smaller centres. The committees, usually consist of the Mayors and presidents tof patriotic societies, and other-gentle- ,. orient interested in this. useful work, «-rcho endea-vour personally to interview ihe, men seeking employment..

Difficulties Met With. -After receiving advice from the head office these committees set to work. 'Their difficulties are many, in the task, aor • some or. the men do not reply 'to.intimation's sent to them at the ad'iresßss given. From time to time tire committees report to Wellington. No mam is marked off until a definite Tepiy A-as been received about him, and at ■frequent intervals the Head Office telefgraphs to the committees concerning jnan_ about whom no replies have been received. In Wellington there is a cominiitee of several prominent gentlemen. But beyond the initial meeting It. 1 has not been found necessary to-call them together for the sjjeeii/c purpose of finding work for retained men. At present the Department has .only four men on the Wellington list, juid of these two hare been oil the list less than a week. The committee is ready, However, to help in the event of an influx oT men requiring employment. Anticipating Applicants. Of the men who : return there aTe Slumbers who are in hospital or on leave, and who cannot be dealt with by •tlte Department trntil they are discharged. An arrangement has been made with the Defence Department by which about ten days' notice is given to the Department of men who are to be discharged. A Government officer in the town or locality where the soldier resides, interviews the soldier, and fills in a report. If the soldier does not desire assistance, he'signs a statement to that effect, and inquiries concerning him are closed off unless he asks for "help -at a subsequent date, when his •case is reopened. Such men as clerks, salesmen,- skilled mechanics, and skilled workers hi general are usually taken

back by their employers. Tho chief difficulty is, with unskilled workers, wlio arc no longer capable of hard work or of standing exj>osure to the weather. Particulars concerning these men are sent out to the local committees, and it may be mentioned that local bodies, education boards, chambers of commerce, farmers' unions, harbour bofirds, and such bodies, have been asked to help both by offering employment and by using their influence in other quarters.

Other Avenues Tapped. The Public Service Commissioner and Government Departments are likewise approached. For the training of men unablo to follow their former occupations, arrangements are completed with tho training colleges in the Dominion to take these men in classes, to take these men in classes, free places being provided for them by tho Government, when the Discharged Soldiers Information Department Jim certified to . their eligibility, ii.o i'Vfw Zealand Society of

Accountants has spontaneously propounded a scheme to give discharged soldiers tuilyjn in clcrifal work in hookkeeping. This is considered an admirable proposition, and men are 'already making inquiries concerning it. Tho Agricultural Department also is ready to have men taught farm work, poultry-keeping, beekeeping, fruit-growing, and _ like work on the State farms. Provision is ready for about fifty men. Strange to say, not one man has taken advantage of this offer. _ JReUirncd soldiers, as a whole appear at present to prefer the town life. 'Another institution which has offered tuition, and for . which no applicants have been forthcoming, is the Jubilee Institute for the Blind at Auckland. In this case, the dearth of applicants is a cause for rejoicing. So far there have been no totally blind soldiers among those invalided home, though some have had their eyesight injured. I

Numbsrs Already Dealt With. Up to date the new department has oil its cards 3336 men. Of these, as already stated, 1386 have been disposed of, 958 are "under action," and 992 are not yet discharged. In finding work for this number of men, valuable assistance has been .given by the Labour Department. The S'.<=r;tary, Mr. Rowley, has given valuable assistance, and the care of maimed men has reserved his special attention. For example.. a man who has lost a foot could not work at his trade as ■ well as a sound worker. To meet such cases underrate permits to work were deemed' desirable in the case of returned soldiers. An ordor-in-council was passed, giving effect to ; this, to neoessarv conditions. The question of land settlement is entirely one for -the Lainds Department. This work is under the control of the Right Hon. the Prime Minister, but the Information Department hands to tho men a circular giving full instructions as to where applications should be made. One of the largo committees has been struck by the small demand , for farm work or for land sections, likebe made. The Auckland committee has been struck by the small demand for farm-work-or 'for land sections, likewise by the lack of desire among the soldiers to take' advantage of the Department of Agriculture's offer. Light work, out of doors, is what the discharged soldiers want, and there is a keen demand'for Government billets. Offers of work have been made by many private employers, and a number have been taken advantage of. But the men will not look at small-wage country billets. The branch of the Department dealing with these offers, as with tho men's application for particular kinds of work are carefully dealt with, by means of a simple card system. For example there might be an application from a man Who sought light work, who was in receipt of a pension of 30s. a week, a,nd v.vws suffering from general debility. Truly a difficult problem, but one that was solved, as wwajiather by a man who said he wanted jrork as a- rubber expert. {

Tho ofliws of the Dopartmeri consist of three'airy rooms, one being the public office, another a comfortably furnished waiting room, awl the third is Mr. Samsoir's office. Th© systematic manner in. which tho records "arc kept and the promptness and courtcsv shown to applicants, as wetl as the energy displayed, would seem to show that the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department is a Hre and useful. one.