NEW ZEALAND ARMY AT HOME

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 118, 12 February 1919, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND ARMY AT HOME

TEACHING THE CRIPPLED SOLDIERS A MAGNIFICENT WORK (By H. T. B. Drew, 2nd Lieutenant.) It will never be said of New Zealand that of her sons who fought their fight in the great war and emorged maimed unci useless. she merely acknowledged their services and then'-future uselessness and'paid them the price slio had agreed upon. It ia inevitable that we havo these hopeless cripples; they aro sad sighta that mar your appreciation of the cheerfulness of each well-conducted 'hospital. Some have lost their arms, or hands,' or fingers; some legs; and ono niight think at first they are hopelessly incapacitated from further service in a busy competitive community. But one leaa'ns after a time that mechanical skill combined with surgical science can do much, with the aid of artificial limbs, to supply .their distressing loss; and that with' opportunity and enthusiasm, and their own piitienco and persistence, they nan not only rise above their misfortunes, but fill ft very useful place in civic life. The new military Headquarters at Homo is pursuing a very active policy in this direction, and it is romarltable how good are tho results. In March there were 215 disabled New Zoalandors in England undergoing ''re-education" in various means of livelihood, '• or already reaping the bonefit,,6f the instruction they havo received. /One con say that all tho first painful apprehension of these poor fellows for the future is now removed, for. they can feel'that their means of subsistence will not be dependent upon their pensione alone; but that their capacity for good, ■useful -woTk- will enable them to compete successfully with the best in the employment market. In what is being done the authorities have really to use their own brains Tath'er than to draw upon outside experience, , for .very little in this respect on .organised lines is yet bein!,' undertaken in Britain. , The work is directly under the capable chargo and supervision of Captain H. Richards, Officer in Chargo of the New Zealand Motor Transport, and its location is Oatlands, at Walton-on-Thames. It i 3 at the Oatlands Hospital that the limbless casoo an- treated, so that tho men are under the eye of tho surgeons, all the while, nnd can meanwhile be undergoing a continuation of treatment or awaiting artificial limbs that may be in the course of proI notation for them; for, a3 perhaps is Already known, out disabled'men are held in England until every possible chance has been given them to benefit from the -marvellous inventions which now replaco missing limbs. The School. ' At Oatlands a school has been estab-lished-which embraces most branches ot instruction that can possibly lit these men. . The courses comprise motor engineering, vulcanizing, bootmabng, woodwork, wool-classing, poultry farming, commercial courses, and draughtsmanship. Instruction is carried on at a school which is held, in huts and. workshops erected on tho lawns at Ontlands under tho shady old trees. Classes were started on organised lines in August last year. It is remarkable with what keenness the men have thrown themselves into tho werk. The hours of instruction are four and a half per ,day, which is as much as men recovering from such severe wounds can be expected to stand; but in their desire to progress while they have tho chance they throw'many extra hours of private work into it long after "school has'closed. , , In. cases where men have progressed well they have been found situations in workshops- or warehouses and offices in various parts of the United Kingdom. They ' have invariably- done well. ine British custom is to discharge "Tommies who are disabled when everything. possible has been done to repair their infirmities; but these men are kept m khaki and receive their soldier's pay with their usual ration' allowance of £1 Bs. n week They-are not expected to receno :■ v£w".from. their, employers,, -though, Y . without' exception,; itfhereyer -tliese men ' a*e employed an offer has been made to '■ ■.place; tiem on , the,pay;roll,.so well have \ .they-succeeded, < , ,'.'.-■

Pathetic. Perseverance; ■ It will bo difficult to-convey, .in won , the "true spirit and magnificence of in ivhrlv and tho way tlie cripples are throv ing themselves'in to it. One can- only! bejst .give some •'• elight. idea ot, it. 11 canmercialVclass .has, the. largest nur l>eiv:of pupile:.- The.success o .tins cla»» is entirely "due.: tq the personality of Sergeant JonWoh'.-.lnto p'rivato;secretary_ to the Hon,\V. H. Hemes. .Hμ -untiring efforts have ni.afle.the scheme so popular :in:August- last.-whon , the school started . it had seven on the roll, but in March o 'tliie year, six. months later, the seven hail become.eighty-eigM It should be explained that: it ,is not necessary for men to continue the wort.-they folowed before tho war, learning-to, adapt themselves to their crippled <°'«¥ ,on > s ,, ? 1 "? acquiring'.the use- of their left hand when-the .right is missing, or crippled. Many-men do this, but-men may and very often do eet out on an entirely new means of-livelihood and .lay a sturdy foundation for.it. Perseverance is tho handmaid of those men.. They Have heir heads hard down to their tasks. Crippled, in uiieSfr positions, absolutely coucenrate" Weir wk, it is really a pathetic Bight, that strange school. It in future these men apply for work in-fac-tory or office ia New Zealand, let the* they approach conjure un tins scone, ami remember tho toilsome hours and the inStable will by which alone too unfortunate- fellows were able to rough anil fit themselves for employSon merit, when they had every right- to look forward to a life of oase in a "ratefill country. ■ ■■ • . - In this commercial -course the student* are representative of all walks in lifemnkcerks learning to write left-handed commercial travellers,, medical studenU, schoolmasters, tradesmen, shop nesutan ts : and farm hands/and other labouieis The curriculum- comprises bookkeeping oommeircial arithmetic, shorthand am HS : commercial letter-writing vSneil cutting, the use -of-tlie roto duplicator,- filing and up-to-date o&c routine,- and lectures on various element ary economic ' eubjects-evQrythiUg, i fact, that-goes to make. competent clcAs The instructors in this and the othe classes! one should state, are quahfle. 'men, or n.c.o.'e who *re either woundo. themselves or classed as unfit for activ servce A. student is-first taught lwol ?S, so that if he has to leave hefor a wmpleto course. can be taken he is nrovided with-at least one branch of nowledge likely to \h of service to him. Hftble to .remain he is taken through oich of the other subjects in the course. <tomo of the njovo advanced pupils can ?Z dictation-at seventy-five and eighty words a minute, left-handed men amongst tlioni. ■ .-.■••■ A Particular Cas?. One man in, particular .showed how uerseverance can ■■ overcome difficulties. This poor clia,p had lost his right hand., and only a portion of the thumb and we finger .remained,on, the left. ot, filling n. leather pad over the injured hand with the aid of his teeth, ho juggled a pencil into a peculiar g-rip and took dictation in tho Gregg system (which is taught here) at eighty words a rninute, and then transcribed on a.typewriter at a fair rate of speed, using the fixed shift, key for the capitals, and the one iingor, or the portion of it remaining, for tho of the keys, and the manipulation of the-roller.- Can you picture it? Can yon imagiue what heart-breaking patioiico day after day, this meant? _ Other.men loss disabled were laboriously leering the formation of characters .with-their loft hands, or acquiring facility in writing. Others again wore merrily punching away with remaining fingers on the typewriter, . working up speed and joking at tho awkwardness <if it. Somo were farmers minus legs, who, recognising thoir inability to drivp n plough again, settled' dbwii to iearii liow to become oterks or acquire siuffir.iiiut knowledge of figures to tit them for farm managing or somo overseeing jobs. Labourers who will do manual labour no morn have made up their minds to qualify for tally clorks, or to do clerical work of somn other description.'

There aro live typewriting machines on tho sohools,. and they are very rarely idle, oven out of liours. And thus ono might go ovor tho whole class, for though tuero aro degrees of incapacity,, each man

has some disability to overcome. To assist them the instructors have tlic latest books ami commercial manuals, and the schoolroom is complete with desks, writing materials, and blackboards, lien at -ihool again, as'infants, after God knows ■hat experiences in a bloody war! Belucation for conscKm-e , Rake, to pre-n-ve their independence and manhood :i tlio uiis.vniM!lieli. v 'i , '.itiire. , Thi» is the iwv Zealand spirit! ■ .'. | From'this fieone you pass to His workhops.- '.Tlu-rc ore forly-mio men (all-the cures arc for March 'ami April) learning "otor nngiiuMTins in the Wdtor ..-,v,wkhops. '.Most, of these students arc minus ! lpcr' ■ Tha iiiatriienr is a ",<w>. who m* oiie- , iii'll ,, shell-shocked, and stricken ritli sguo; 'First the mi'U are.-put o olenv.ntiiry work—bughthow to ftle flr ,. >x ,t !r _.;(; is the thing- first, learned in ai'workshops, and to amuralely fit wo >iece of St««' i" to another. Irom this ■hev "rauiially pw?vi«3 .lyp .the stages ■f 'meeJiimkal" engineering until, in ft wnparelively little while, you .find them iWvUiinij 'motor-cars and bicycles and •cassemhlinff them again. The ..latest lece'-'-nry unplinncra arc placed ait. thoir >i°posal." They stripped a SO-horw-power/ ?hid!>iin.l:tr,. rebuilt the engine, and reiwmblixl the'car again. .They did the woe with another 40-liorse-powor car— stumping round it.on one leg,- 'hopping jver to lath or vice,'and standing at work' there, a crutch under.an armpit! Motor bicycles are'taken-to pieces and repaired. ' ; '' ' . ,; '•"■ ; Vulcanising lS'pa-rt of the instruction, a cortplote plant lioving been sot up, Mid these men do all the't.vre-rcpnlrlng ntid nilcanisiii? for tho 'whole , of the New Zealand transport outfit- in Enpland So great is their keenness and industry that after free or six months here tW eo to mechanical shops in various English workshops nnd give , the best satisfaction; and they will return to New Zealand qualified experts instead of helpless cripples. Two men who could not properly file a. piece of steol when they first came in> are now in the groat Austin workshops at Birmingham. : ■ For Young Partners.. Another most useful branch of instruction to fit the case of youn? farmers who have losl limbs is the irool-classing department. Thirty-two men are ■ engaged, here. It is a properly fitled-up woolc.lassinß shed.:wilh fifty bales of mixed Now Zealand wool just- arrived from the Dominion This was undergoing examination and classification. .Twenty-twobales had been done, and, by arrangement with ■Hie brokers, when, it was ■ completed it would be returned to the stores, and replaced with another fifty. Nothing amateurish or "tinpotty" about, this, but proper instruction to fit- men to go on to a station with a shearer gang and accurately classify the .fleeces! . The bootmoking section has a hne largo room to itself. The class only started in December last, but already has a roll of twenty members.' There is plenty of Rood material upon which to practise. Military boots cp.n always do with overhauling; but the higher branches of work are included, such m ickin? to pieces toots worn out, replaces those parts and reducing 'Hie size of th« boots, nml turning out a comporetivcl;,- Mn-nrticle. Here ngain if all tho lute»t machinery ?nd tools at the students' jdisposal. • A Most Useful Branch. TJio carpentry. joineiTi and genera' woodwork branch is pning. to prove on( of tho roost useful.. It has twelve stu deniv, ai'/V the workshop is thoroughly up to dttts. Here the woodwork for al the othiir classes is turned ont-tablw d«1», shelves, cuplwanK ■ blackboards benches, and, indeed, all 1 lie-office fitting! {or the local headquarters, besides whicl certain important fitting havc-be.en im dertaken for the general's headquartori in London. Men; with ono arm or ow hand keep' pace/ with those- posfesain; two How they do it one cannot set except that there is in them the gri that demonstrates that "where there s i will there's, a way." Thej' make her artificial limbs for themselves and.ward robos for the hospitals, card tables, inoto bodies, and pretty little fretwork'.pieco? and many.other.things...fine ivishes th workshops could be seen m New /ea land; they would make an lntereslin exhibition"! It would brin? lumps t tho throats of sonio people if they com s walk in here and see .these buj, misj s disfigured, liappy , fellows hoppmu.abou' '- complete .masters of their lnfirmitiei it They would.have.a little praise, too,- fc e the 'helpful work that, is lieing ■ done fc i- these men and the enterprise which pn

moted it. ' '.. '.. '■■;. ' ~ : . • Lastly, there is.the poultry section-in-struction in the euro and -breeding of poultry. The men of thL« section , are engaged' atHhe biff poultry farm at Oatlands, .under an expert, and the best results have already been obtained. As opportunity offers,tho men β-e placed in positions elsewhere for. .further experience.. Scientific.agricultural instructional classes are also-to be held, and -the. experiments'applied; at-.the Oatlnnds Farm. .' Further Ramifications, ■ But the ramifications of tho scheme ex- • tend-still further. Men, as previously •stated, have beou placed in positions all over Enplnritl. They are. regularly visited by the director of the/ school, and a, report sent into headquarters on them and iheir work.. i'orly-Uo of:our cripples arc so omployed. Their spheres of labour aro us follow:—Motor engineering—Strtr Knarineering Company- (Wolverhampton), 10; Austins (Birmingham), 2; Grey's (Wolverhampton), 9. Electrical engineer-; iiig—Electrical Construction'. Company (VVolverlmmpton), i.. Bootmalnng—Craddock's (Wolverhanipton), i.. Prench-pol-isliiiiß—Maple and .Co. (London), 3. Commbrciiil, course—Pitimvil's'.(London), -2. Wireless Institute (Wimbledon), 1. Civil engineering—School of Teohnology- (Manchester), 1; Architecture—Architects' Association (London), 1. Metallurgy—Victors' .Laboratory' '(Sheffield), 1. Artificial limb-maldng" (Roehnmpton House), 3..; Motor traction— Addlostone, 1.. Tailoring—Wolvorhamp- ■ ton, 1. ■ '....: .... ; : ■ ' Let New Zealanders give their imaginar tioii a littlo play and appreciate to tho full the efforts, her honourable cripplee are putting forth to qualify themselves for further utility in her cities and towne, and on her lands, -when; the .happy day comes for them to return. And when they return equipped with skilled knowledge it ivnot likely that it will be necessary for them to seek long for billets. ■■■•:.;■