RETURNED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2934, 21 November 1916, Page 6

RETURNED SOLDIERS

WHAT IS DONE FOR THEM

WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT

STATEMENT BY HON. A. L. HERDMAN

r™d ' S u 1 < ¥i tract froM » m«nofo l ir°-\ lhe Hon - A - L ' Herdmnn v™,w ll,lllstc i' of Defence, dated Notutnw) s li ?n e /peiatious of the Keif V°!d ler: >' Information Department, of which Mr. Herdman is in charge Any suggestions regarding the welfare of our returned soldiers and the ?i^ ner J n ' con dition can be improved.and their disabilities ameliorated wiu always bo welcomed by myself and my Department, .and will receive the most earnest and sympathetic consideration. whilst_ there may be some difference of opinion as to the manner in which the object in view caii best be served, i feel satisfied the whole community 15 agreed aa to the very real character of the duty which is owed to the men who have been disabled in the service of their country. As there has been some suggestion that up to the present this duty has received little, if any, practical recognition by the Government, I think I can best correct ally erroneous impression of this kind by briefly Tecoumting what has already been accomplished by the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department, of which I am the Ministerial head. I shall commence with a short statement outlining the general method which has been pursued m carrying out the duties entrusted to the Department. Whßn a Transport Arrives; "Kyery transport arriving in New Zealand with returned soldiers is met by an officer of the Discharged Soldiers' .Department, who obtains in the case of each man the information necessary for the purposes of the Department's regis-, ter. The Defence Department has been kiud enough to arrange for a large part of this information to be compiled on the ship during the voyage from Euirope, but supplementary information as regards tlie man's medical condition on arrival, the address to which he is going and the period of leave granted, or in the case of a man still requiring treatment the hospital or convalescent home to which ho is being: removed, is obtained by our officer immediately after the man has been examined by the Medical Board. The opportunity is taken to give each iman a card setting oat the objects with which the Department lias been established, and inviting him to communicate with the officer in charge if in need of information. From the information on the lists so prepared a card is written up for each man, and filed alphabetically, pending receipt of advice from the Det'enco Department as to the date on which it is intended to give the soldier his discharge—tlii? advice usually reaches us a wtak or two before the (man is actually discharged. Men are Interviewed. "As soon as possible after receipt of this advice the soldier is interviewed by a Government officer, who reports on the case by menus of a form which has been specially drawn up for the purpose. Information is sought as to the man s character and surroundings, the state of his health, and his prospects of complete recovery, and his desire as regards employment, and the opportunity is taken of giving the man a leaflet setting out m greater detail than on the former 1 occasion the special work of the Department, and the educational and other facilities which it, has been able to arrange for the benefit of returned soldiers. " Ln a considerable number of cases it is found that men do not require the Department's assistance in obtaining employment, and in such cases they are asked to sign a statement to that effect. These /l'O often Government or municipal servants, or men in private employ who are returning to their former billets,or men engagedm business on their o\_ account, farmers, etc., who aie res®™ ine their former avocations. Others mLir advise us that they have work to attend to, or no ascerliin that they have been ordered to re.orta" in lor military duty or-have cinlisted. Others definitely request tlio assistance of the Department m obtaining employment. Classification of Cases. "At the present dato the particulars of these various categories are as Mllovc:-? The total number of returned men on the register is 5917, of whom been disposed of. .161 are at prese:ut un der action, and 390 are not yet ready for action. These last-named consist. of men convalescing, not yet ready for employment and not yet discharged by the military authorities. "Particulars of the 4966 cases disposed of are as follow.:— Men who have work to return to or who bave re-enlisted or returned to military duty, etc 2,13Men for whom the Department has secured employment, in some cases two or three times in 6uccession Men who .have signed that they do . not Tequire tho assistance of the . Department in obtaining employmcnt 1,121 Soldiers who have left r\ew Zealand or whoso address cannot bo ascertained 148 Men who have not responded to repeated communications, and mon who have accepted work tho Department has found for them, but have failed to start work ... 391 4,966 The 561 cases under action aro classified as follow:— ~ Awaiting reports of interviewing • officers 150 Awaiting further information (including men who have stated they aro not yet ready for work) 23-2 At present on Employment Wanted Register 174 561 Finding Work for Men. "For the purpose of assisting the Department ill securing work for returned soldiers, over 30 committees have been set up in various centres throughout the Dominion. These committees have defined areas of operation and are ordinarily branches of the focal patriotic societies. They are frequently presided over by the Mayor of the boroughs, and they work in close corporation with the local representatives of the Department of labour, who have been requested by the head of that Department to afford them all possible assistance. "The distribution throughout the Dominion of the 174 men at present on tho Employment Wanted Register is as follows Whangarei, 8; Dargaville, 1; Auckland, 25; Hamilton, 3; Thames, 3; Paeroa, 1; Waihi, 0; Te Aroha, 0; Rotorua, 2; Tauranga, 1; Apotiki, 0; Te Kuiti, 1; Taumarunui, 0; Tnihape, 0; Marton, 0; Feilding, ' 2; Palmerston North, 5; Taranaki, 5; Wanganui, 3; Gisborne, 3; Napier, 2; Hastings, 8; Pahiatua, 0; Wairarapa, 4; Wellington, 3; Blenheim, 3;' Nelson, 4: Westport, 0; Greymouth, 0; Hokitika, 3; Christchurch, 10;. Ashburton. 0; Timaru, 10; Oamarn, 1; Dunedin, 27; Southland, 5; miscellaneous (chiefly men who desire Government employment only), 30; total, 171. How the Department Proceeds."Subject to the special circumstances of individual cases the modus operandi in dealing with the cases of men desiring employment is as follows:—All effers of employment by Government Departments, local authorities or private individuals are indexed alphabetically under 'District' and 'Occupation.' Particulars of these offers are immediately advised to the districts afl'ccted, and if not-promptly filled they aro then communicated to all the centres generally throughout the" Dominion. Similarly when a man is reported us 'desiring work his name and requirements are immediately advised to the local committee, and if thero is any position in the 'District' or 'Occupation' index wliic'a prima facie seems suitablo their attention is specially drawn thereto. Any case advised in this manner to tho local committee is rot allowed to rest until effectually disposed of under, one or other of the heads already onuni-

crated in this memorandum. Repeated reminders are sent if 1 necessary to the local committee, and we do not desist therefrom until we receive a definite and final reply. In This Cily. "In Wellington tho search-for work is carried ou by the office in Aitken Street, iukl its operations have been attended with marked success. A local committee has been set nip, and is available to advise and assist as /may be required, but up to'tho present, beyond the advantage ol' a-general discussion at an inaugural meeting, it has not been found necessary to invoko its aid. The officer in charge of the Information Department* is indefatigable in looking out for openings tor retturned men, and at the present time there are only three men on the ''Ellington employment register. In addition to assistance rendered by the Labour Department many fillets have been secured uder the municipality and in various Government Departments. A sharp look-out is kept on the advertisements in the daily papers, and personal canvass i 9 frequently resorted to to secure suitable positions. Similar activity, is pressed upon our local committees, and the officer in charge makes frequent visits to tho larger centres to discuss the position generally and to offer suggestions which his increasing experience enables him to recommend. Co-operation of Local Authorities. "In addition to dealing with soldiers individually, we have respgnised the necessity of interesting the community generally in the welfare of the returned men, and with this object in view have addressed some hundreds of letters to local authorities throughout the Dominion, find also to Chambers of Commerce, Associations of Employers and Farmers, and others likely to be able to influence employment, bespeaking their good offices, individually and collectively, on behalf of the returned men, and we have been assured in all directions of cordial sympathy and assistance. The Pensions Scale. "It lias been suggested that men who have been victims'of the gravest mutilations, such as the loss of both arms or both legs,-have been given a pension of ,£1 a week. As I felt satisfied that men so circumstanced were treated in a mdre liberal manner than that suggested. I had inquiries on the subject made at the Pensios Department, and: the following list of typical pensions granted for casefe of serious injury or disease has been supplied to my Department by the Commissioner of Pensions: — "Leg off at thigh, .£9l (for twelve months); left arm off and left foot off, Jf9l per annum; mentally deranged, .£9l per annum; phthisis, <£91 per annum; foot off, .£9l per annum for six months, then ,£79 per annum; right leg off, £78 per annum; right arm off at shoulder, .£7B per annum; right arm off above elbow, Ji7B per annum; right forearm off below elbow, .£7B per annum; right arm off, .£7B per annU|m (lieutenant with income of ,£6OO per annum); left arm useless, .£7B per annum; right arm off, -78 per annum; shot in face, .£7B per-an-num; right leg off below knee. *6(8 per annum (wife and child also and ,£l9 10s. per annum); left forearjm off below elbow, .£65 per annum; left forearm useless, J265 per annum; Tight leg off (not on duty), .£65 per annum; right hand stilt, ,£52 per annum; eye out, .£52 per anN "Tho figures supplied by the Pensions Department show that much larger pensions than JEI per week are granted in cases of grave disability, and I shall be able to show from the records of my own Department (1) that numerous and varied agencies for the training of disabled men lave already been established and are available for men desiring to make use of them, and (2) that the Department has succeeded in obtaining employment for a very large number of men suffering from a variety of serious and permanent disabilities. Facilities for Training. "As regards training, returned soldiers certified to by the Department are granted free places at the various technical schools throughout the Dominion, and it has been ascertained, taking the Wellington Technical College as an example, that classes are provided for building construction, painting, decorating and signwriting, carpentry and joinery, plumbing, engineering, jewellery, and metal work, and plastering and modelling. It is understood that other centres might offer somewhat different facilities. but a varied curriculum is provided at all the larger schools. . Provision has been made with the Agricultural Department for the training of soldiers in the various brandies' of farm work, fruit farming, cropping, poultry raising, bee culture, market gardening, etc. For the purposes of scientific training in agricultural and pastoral pursuits the authorities at Lincoln College have placed five scholarships of £20 each at the disposal of soldier-stu-dents, and'have agreed to-take non-resi-dent pupils as far as the college capacity will permit at a nominal fee of ,£5 por annum. In deserving-cases the Department will be prepared to supplement the scholarship by an annual allowance sufficient to defray tho balance of tho college fees. This 'has already been done in one instance. The New Zealand Society of Accountants has undertaken to supply free clerical training (including book-keeping and general office practice) to partially disabled soldiers accredited by this Department. They will also, subjeot io tho prescribed conditions, pay tho examination fees of approved candidates' for accountancy diplomas. The co-opera-

tion of the Jubilee Institute - for the Blind has been secured for the training of any returned soldiers suffering from partial or total blindness. A large number of trades suitable for persons so afflicted are practised at the Institute, and. subject to the necessary boarding ac-' coinmodation being provided the authorities at the Institute will undertake the neccssary teaching. 1 , The Maimed Men. "It has been a matter of regret that , .returned soldiers have not shown any ' great readiness to avail themselves of' tho facilities for instruction and train- f ing enumerated above, tho majority of: them appearing to desire employment of; an immediately remunerative,character.. As already mentioned, the Departmenthas been instrumental in finding employ-; ment for ,1171 men, and with a view Unseeing how many of these are suffering' from grave disabilities we have picked, out a total of 82 men who are drawing' annual pensions and pension allowances of' ,£7B perannum (30s. per week) and upward. The pension figures have been chosen as a basis because they are a fair index of the degree of disability from which the men are suffering'. Annual Pensions: No. . Nature of of men Amount of. disability. affected, pension. Severe body wounds ... 13) Results of disease 4) Arm wounds 22) X7B to <£91 Leg wounds 2) per annum. Lost arm 2) 30s. to 355. Lost leg .....'. : 5) per week. Paralysed limb 2) Men suffering from ser- ' ) . ious wounds, but \ ) 30s. to 3os. whose pensions have ) ■ per week, not been put on a ) permanent basis 32), Total .....: 82 "Probably a number of these are am- .- nutations, but a search of the medical files in the Defence Department would be necessary to state how-many. ' "All the above men have secured em- - ployment .through the agency of the Department, and the high pensions granted are indicative of the serious character of their disabilities. In addi-' tion to the above, 17 men who have lost the eight of one eye and are drawing pensions of .£52 per annum have also been placed in employment by 'the Department. "It will be gathered that the results of experience up to the present would not lead me to support any large expenditure to meet a need which has not at present clearly manifested ' itself. Should, however, the accession of large numbers of mutilated and disabled men show that a real/ necessity exists, I should not hesitate to recommend any expenditure necessary to provide for the men's immediate and future welfare. At the End of the War. "Before concluding it is perhaps almost unnecessary for me to say that the real strain on the Department will arise when the forces are disbanded at the termination of the war, and men are returning to the Dominion possibly at the rate of 6ome thousands a month. I feel that we have here" a task of immense magnitude, and ono which has occasioned myself and my Department much - anxious thought. A scheme which has now . been formulated and is receiving final consideration will, I hope, enable us to tide over the' transition period which must elapse between ; the; men's discharge and their absorption in. the ordinary civil life of the community, but I foresee that it will tax our outmost efforts to overcome the many difficulties which will inevitably confront us."