DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 8, 4 October 1918, Page 6

DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

WORK FOR THE MEN,

iV '-During, the. month, of September 583 (soldiers returned to New Zealand, and jtheir names were placed on the regisjter of the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department. The Department jiealfc with . 1125 men during tho month. !£t found employment for more than j2OO, whilo 351 returned to their old jjobs or re-enlisted, 310- stated they : required no assistance, and 280 failed to j'reply to communications.'.

N- "Th proportions under these headings, to tlio total number disposed of j ■ 18,384, remain about the same," said (the Hon. D. 'H.Guthrie) yesterday. ''About 40 per cent, of the men have work to .return ;'to.or re-enlist, 28 per cent, signed that they do not require our assistance, 20 ; p«r cent, are placed in billets by tho (Department, and 12 per cent, fail to [respond'- to. repeated communications, •or accept work the Department finds jfor, them, but fail to start. [../'•Notwithstaincling fresh men being (discharged each month by the miliitary authorities and then coming under ■the■Department's'review, the cases un|der._ a(itiiou- have been reduced by 841 jduring tin: month, including a reduction of 100 in the Department's emiploynient. ■wanted register, which shows ithat there are 59 men unplaced at jAuckland, 12 at Wellington, 59 in iChristclnirch, and 2!) in Dunedin." The Minister added that up to tho jend of September the Department had .subsidies on wages to 134 men ! who . were- to receive training in work- ; shops and factories, had approved of ! grant's to 1!)2 men for training in technical schools and had approved of 33 ;men for training on State farms. In ■addition 11 apprentices were being assisted by, the Department.