RETURNING SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 70, 17 December 1918, Page 7

RETURNING SOLDIERS

THE HOMEWARD-BOUND' TRANSPORTS

SYSTEM OP DISCHARGE DESCRIBED

Over two thousand New Zealand invalided soldiers are nearing the Dominion on transports, and will have the pleasure of spending Christmas among their friends, unless their ailments in too serious io permit discharge before hospital trsatinent. First: for r<?«rn are the hospitil cases and convalescents. .Then will come the "Oi who are still iit. . At present (lie Difeiicn Department has to prepare for the invalids, and for this reason the new system of facilitating discharge straight from the ship's side will not he possible. So the friends of the men who are returning between now and December 22 will have to exercise a few hours' patience after the Irnnspoct's -arrival, to enablo soldier-relatives to bo properly equipped with warrants for their privileges, and to be medically and dentally overhauled before returning to civil life. This process in some of the Dominions involves a stay in a demobilisation camp, or leave with the obligation to report to a Defence office for medical boarding, a procedure whirh will be completed in connection with the men returning here this month on board tho vessel iiiion their, arrival, lint an improved evsteni is being adopted which can lie worked when the fit men commence to'return.

Captain Ba;rtl ; etti, formerly of Base Records, Wellington, who recently returned .to England for further active service, ' nnd' Sergeant-Major Gardiner, who for several years was the n.c.o. in charge of the medical boarding of returned soldiers in Wellington, are to be at the disposal of General Richardson in London for the purpose of instructing staffs which will be sent out with each transport to deal with the returning soldiers ea route, enabling them to disembark on arrival without any delay whilst boarding arrangements are being carried out as at present. As is the case at present, it will not, under this system, bo necessary for a returned mail lo again ■go near a Defence.office after leaving tho vessel. lie may have to return certain articles of kit which he will want for a ,time, but he can 6end them back/by post. 'The new scheme provides .for the holding of demobilisation boards on returning transports prior lo arrival in New Zealand.' Detailed' instructions have been printed and sent to England, showing how the soldier's medical papers hive to bo prepared,- how his denial examination and treatment -are to bo undertaken, the' medical boarding, issue of hospital treatment certificates for use after arrival, discharge of fit. men, the provisions of leave on pay, and a four week's free, railway pass, notification to next-of-kin that he is about to arrive, and preparation of pension claims where this is necessary. There is a good deal to do for each individual soldier, but under' this system the staff will have the whole period of the voyage for- tlie won?, : and.-will be detailed specially for it, with iio_ other duties to distract'them. It. is _intended to establish o, school in England for the-instruction of : suitable men, who -.will come out as the Demobilisation ■ Staff, -and bo discharged with the other soldiers on lie transport upon-their arrival. No expense : will thus be incurred in sending staffs of trained men backwards and ."or-.-.-ai'O!?, doing nothing during the. journey to longland. An experiment was made to ascertain if .an,, officer lised to military form, could pick up the duties from the printed, instructions. .Ee did so in a .few hours, and carried through a sample demobilisation quite correctly. Thus it is assumed that only a fow days' train-ing-will be needed to make the 'Demobilisation Staff dHcient. ■ But there :-is an important element which has lieeded specinl attention—that of the medical standard to bo.'observed in classifying-the returned men. "Doctors.differ,"it is said, and this must be recognised. t. Where one medico would discharge a -man with provision for outpatient treatment at a hospital, another would order him to become an in-pati-ent.' And-there are differences of practice or opinion h'n regard to the-degree, of-disability. ... .For- these reasons it is i highly important that each • transport should have on board, for purposes of medical classification, medical men who are familiar with the New Zealand standard' of treatment. There has not yet been sufficient time to arrange for the supply of medical men with this experience, but before the fit men commence fti embark- this will have been arranged, and the system of returning our men who have so worthily done their part in the victorious struggle- should bo smoothworking, and free from delay when the men come in sight of home.