The Dominion TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1918. PARLIAMENT AND REPATRIATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 46, 19 November 1918, Page 4

The Dominion TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1918. PARLIAMENT AND REPATRIATION

Before the influenza epidemic arose to complicate matters, the Government and Parliament had some urgent problems to solve. The time available was in any case none j too long to permit of justice being done even to the more important | items of business claiming attention. With further delays inevitable, the i problem of getting necessary work done will become more difficult than ever. It is expected that when the House meets to-day another adjournment of a week will be proposed, and. there is no assurance that it will be-possible to resume the work of the session at the end -of that period. At present about- half the members of the House arc either down with influenza or are absent from Wellington on account of sickness in their families. Admittedly this state of affairs does not lend itself to the transaction of business. At the same time there is work awaiting attention which cannot well be deferred for any great length of-time. The position is all the more, perplexing since Mr. Massey and Silt Joseph Ward must leave the Dominion within a week or two if ihey are to reach Europe in time for the opening of the Peace Conference, which is now expected to occur in January. ( It. seems possible that the next few weeks may witness. some exceptional departures from routine Parliamentary procedure, and it is not-impossible-that the existing arrangement in regard to the- representation of New Zealand at the Peace Conference may have to be reconsidered. The interests of the country demand that it should be represented at the Peace. Conference, but it is equally essential that at least the more important items Of business set down for this session should he carried through. It is, therefore, clear that arrangements must be made to proceed with business as soon as the health of .members will permit. No doubt when the House meets to-day the Prime Minister will advance proposals calculated to meet in some way the peculiar circumstances that have arisen. The positipn would be extraordinary apart from the serious ancL.still indefinite delay occasioned by the epidemic. Six weeks will bring us to the end of the year, and the House has yet to receive and consider the Financial Statement, the public Works and Bailways Statements, the Estimates, and others items of business which _ iii an ordinary /session occupy in the aggregate much more time than is now available -to the end. of the year. It is more serious, however, that Parliament has not yet had an opportunity of giving practical consideration to the urgent and overshadowing question of repatriation. , In the vital matter Of bringing homo our soldiers arid re-establishing them in' civil life under conditions satisfactory to themselves and advantageous to the Dominion nothing must bo taken for granted Or left .to chance. We have, had from Ministers,'various assurances in general terms that comprehensive plans of repatriation and demobilisation have been framed, and some leading details of what has been done and is proposed. What is wanted, however, is_ a' clear,' definite, and comprehensive account of what has been done thus far towards providing for_ the restoration of soldiers to civil life. In'shaping some details of its repatriation programme the Government has undoubtedly shown commendable energy and foresight. But there are at present no means of judging whether the programme as a whole is calculated to meet requirements.

It has been announced that the Minister of Defence will shortly make a statement in the House of Representatives regarding the Government's plans for the repatriation and demobilisation of the New Zealand forces. Unless there is a reasonable prospect of Parliament being able ; to resume work a week hence it is' to be hoped that Si it James Allen will make his statement before the House adjourns tomorrow. ...An early disclosure (is necessary not merely that the Government s plans may bo scrutinised, but in order that the benefits of non-political co-operation may bo obtained _ in the fullest possible measure in carrying out whatever measures are agreed upon. This evidently is a matter of capital importance. In regard to bringing our soldiers home and making provision for their health and welfare up to the time of discharge no great difficulty should arise. No doubt plans to this point have been made well in advance, and only sound methods and efficient administration are needed to ensure these plans being carried out successfully. Much, of course, will depend upon tho qualifications of the Director of Repatriation who is to be appointed. Provided he has the intimate acquaintance with military organisation which is demanded it should be a comparatively simple matter to put the repatriation scheme into smooth-working operation so far as the return of soldiers to their own districts is concerned. This, however, is only the initial aspect of the problem. It is obvious that tho - chief difficulties to he overcome are those connected with the re-establishment of soldiers in civil life, and it is here that the Government may fall into serious error if it relies too much upon its own centralised administration and too little upon the help it rr.'ight readily enlist from outside sources. Provision is beingmade for" tho establishment of district committees which are expected to be representative of vari.ous' interests—employers, workers, farmers, and so forth—and this is a move in the right direction. But in view of the complex problems to be solved the Government would be wise to avail itself freely of expert and non-politicaT advice in perfecting the broad features of the repatriation and 'lemobilisation scheme as well as in carrying out its details. Just how far it has moved in this direction will bo known only when a comprehensive Ministerial statement is made. Since the repatriation of our soldiers is to begin in the very near future such a sUtemont ought to be made forthwith. The Government should feel it Ml the more necessary to take the country fully into its confidenco in view of the interruption of the Parliamentary

session and.the possibility that delays may continue for some weeks to come.