DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 6, 2 October 1918, Page 4

DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT. The good work being done by the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department is shown by the following statement from the Department mado available by tho Minister in. Charge (tho Hon. D. H. Guthrie). The statement refers to tho main features regarding the working for tho month of September, as follow:— 1. During tho month of September, 583 men have been returned to New Zealand, and their iiaines have been added to the Department's register. 2. During tho month 1125 men have been disposed of. 3. We found billets for over 200 more men. 4. During tho month 351 took up their old employment or re-enlisted, «tc.; 3LO signed "assistance not required,'' and 280 failed to reply to repeated communications. > The proportions under those headings to tho total number disposed of, 18,384, remain about tho same, namely, 40 per cent, of the men have work to return to or re-enlist, 28 per cent, sign that they do not req'uire assistance, 20 per cent, are placed in billets by the Department, and 12 per cent, tail to respond to repeated communications or accept work tho Department finds for them, but fail to start. Notwithstanding fresh men being discharged each month by tho military authorities and then coming under tho Department's purview, tho cases under action have been reduced by 844 during the month, including a reduction ot 10U in the Department's employment wanted register, which shows that there-are 59 men unplaced at Auckland, 12 at Wellington, 59 in Christehurch, and 29 in Dunedin. The committees ill the four cities mentioned placed respectively during tho month 32 Auckland,ißo Wellington. 48 Christehurch( includes some omitted last month), and 28 Dunedin. Eight?'men placed in Wellington is less than usual, but tWs is accounted for by the fact that fewer men than usual called during tho month, and there is at present only 12 on'the employment wanted register. •