THE RETURNED SOLDIER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 117, 11 February 1919, Page 6

THE RETURNED SOLDIER

" THE WORK PROBLEM A COMPLAINT TO THE ASSOCIATION A returned soldier, writing under the pen name of "Nemo" made strong protest a few days ago regarding (he treatment of returned men. Ho complained of tlie reception given the men on aa- r rival, but more especially of the adeged } failure to find them suitable employ- . ment. In. the course of his letter he re- £ marked:— "Tho soldier is not, after the stress of } war, as fit as he was to battle with tho t keen, selfish, grabbing stay-at-homo £ •business' man he has shielded. He must , -et'work. Ho searches the daily papai's. - Thev contain nothing but accounls oi a increasing,difficulty in piacing soldiers j, in light work. He is offered pick and ~ shovel work by the Government. How c many Task vou. of-the returned boys , ever did that'class of work? A meagre t percentage. It's an insult! He is oifcr- -, ed a farm at the huge present value c (mark you) he has created by_ his years f of war sufferings. Is it justice? And c were all soldiers either farmers or nar- , vies? He does not want to be spoon- j fed, but what ho does want is his due— , his birthright." , . ~ i The case for a general change in the t attitude of the people generally towards , the returned soidicr is hard to answer, j as a generaf complaint, but m particu- ; lar there does not seem to be much jus- f tification for the statement or the sug- , gestion that tho returned soldier is no f being looked after.' Inquiries made ot the Director of Eepatnation show that j a great deal is being done to fine posi-, i tioiis for men returning and needing . c work. The Government .-s not asking I i men to take pick and shovel work. J. lie | , Government through the Repatriation , Department k doing all that is possible , to find for the men the kind of cm?.o)"- i ment thev seek, in spite of the iact, very 1 often oniv too evident, that they are i not quite well adapted for the worlothey ask. This is particularly applicable to the men who seek clerical employment. I There are complaints that men, particu- i larlv in Auckland and Christchurch, are f unable to get work, but m Wellington and. Dunedin no such difficulties exist. Everv man with any capacity at all can i be placed in Wellington at once, or at l ea «t in a verv short time, and jobs can ; generally bo found in a few dayj for ' men who are admittedly difficult to place. It is not the custom to wait untU jobs come into tho office. Iho papers are closely scanned every morn- . ing and evening, and where it is' notified • that a man is in search of a clerk ho is asked to employ a returned soldier it- . there is a man on the books of tho De- ■ partment. Even if an employer is ad- i vertising for a gin' to do clerical work tho tho Department get in,o , touch with him by telephone at once andsuggest that he ought to employ a returned soldier, and very often the employer sees tilings in the proper light, ; making room for the returned man. Com- i potent' clerks are said to be out of work ' in Christchurch, but the truth is that i the greatest difficulty is being cxperi- i (•need in finding men for the staff of i •the repatriation offices in this centre. ; Evidence was produced to tho representative, of Thk Dominion, who called pu the Director of Repatriation to make these inquiries, that the greatest patience is taken with men who arc trying ■ to get work for which they are manifestly unsuitcd. Some of'them have been ! placed in as many as four different situations, in which they have, prove unsatisfactory. Tho number of returning men who are seeking clerical jobs ,is I very large, and if the proportion is maintained as the bigger numbers come back there must be embarrass-mint in finding work for them ail. Unfortunately there does not; s.eem to bes-.any doubt from the evidence produced that some of the men are not at all suited for this new occupation which they have chosen. Perhaps the' education classes n>re to blame for some of this tendency on the part of the men. A omattering of economics, a smattering of bookkeeping, a poor knowledge and little skill in Gregg shorthand, and some awkwardness, per-. hapsAwith a typewriter, do not mako a man a capable clerk. It is being found also that the other vocational Classes are not of. much use to men. The disabled men who have to take up clerical work we, not accounted part of the problem. Theirs is a separate problem, and the Department does afford''them opportunities of learning a now occupation. -