WAR RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 125, 20 February 1919, Page 6

WAR RELIEF

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION

THE REPATRIATION QUESTION

The War Relief Association of Welling.fcon held its third annual meeting yesterday afternoon Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp occupied the chair. The chairman, in moving tlic adoption of tho annual report and balance-sheet, already published, observed I hut lie did not intend to say very much of the year's work because a lengthy report had been circulated. He was sure, however, that owing to the fact that most of tile association's work was more or less confidential, and could not bo reported in the Press, the general public did not realise how great was the volume ot' it. Inferring tc the Repatriation' Act, he said that though, thH'associntiou did not agree with the principle of tho present constitution of the boards, it was prepared to lend every assistance to the Government in administering (he Act. Though the Government hud been rather slow ill the matter of repatriation, it had. nevertheless, done a good deal for the soldier. The number of soldiers settled on the land in the Wellington district to (lute was 2121, and twelve had jjprchasc-d land under the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act of 1917. The Government would, if it wns satisfied with the pricei purchase a' house for the man who wanted to live in town. In tho Wellington district the Government had in this way purchased seventy-seven dwellings for soldiers, and in addition there were seventy purchases in course of completion. He found that many of the soldiers did not yet appreciate what the Government would do with regard to entering a trade. Ho understood that if a man wanted to learn a trade the Government would see that he was paid at least tho minimum trade wages—that was tho award wages. The employer paid the man what ho was worth to tho business, and tho Government paid the difference. Then, again, if an injured soldier wanted to learn a new trade at tho technical school the Government would pay his board in addition to his pension. Mr; C. M. Luke, in seconding the chairman's motion, made appreciative reference to tho services of the War relief Committee, which he said did at least two-thirds of the work, ■e • , A Building-up Policy.

Mr. John Hutcheson spoke highly of the system which the secretary of the association had evolved for the carrying on of its work, and observed that having said so much upon organisation he could .not refrain from saying that if the present Government plan of repatriation was to be pursued to its logical conclusion it was going to cost the country Vioney far beyond its resources.

Mr. Hutclieson criticised the Government proposals at considerable length, urging that committals hud been made that were going lo run the .country into millions with a minimum of useful xeturn. 'What was wanted, he said, was something that would tend more to kecy up self-reliance and self-respect in the individual, and to make eveiry man more conscious of the creative force that was in him. He did riot believe in the fashion of merely dealing in detail with cach ease "011 its merits" as it came along, but was in favour of a wider provision for absorbing inon on a wholesale scale into work that would benefit the country by establishing new industries and infusing vitality into existing ones. Why touid not the Government, he suggested, endeavour to establish, inter alia, some such thing as an ideal fishing village on. 5000 wres ct. waterfront at Pelorus- Sound? 111 that village every by-product of the fishing industry could be utilised, and there would be 110110 of .the present wasle. and none, moreover, of the poisoning of the fishing grounds that went on at present through the casting back into the sea of .all kinds of refuse. Mr. Hutclieson referred to other , possibilities of Government enterprise also, and urged thai they be exploited in the interests of tins soldier.

The annual Teport and balance-sheet were'adopted. ■

Messrs. J. Lewis, J. Hutclieson. F. W. Manton, C. A. Ewen, and S. Kirkcaldin retiring members, were 're-elected. The meeting passed votes of thanks In Mrs: J. 13. Macfovan, Sirs. Yeats, Mn IT. Davidson, the trustees, the president, (he chairman of the executive, and members of the committee.

Constructive Measures, Mr. Ilutchefion moved "That in ordev more .successfully to co;)?? with a phase 'of war relief work falling particularly .within the sphere of this association, and for the more efficient .administration nf the funds thereof, a conference l>o sought with the Women's Is utio:ml Reserve League to consider the ■.jujsHon of establishing within the city ail institution or institution.-! combining the fiim.-i.ions of soldiers' wives' clubs and 'nfanl creches; that a committee be set up to confer with a similar committee of th.- Women's National Eescrvo League, and report within three months to a general meeting of lliis executive us to \rbeth«r there is a need- for s.uch institutions. if so, to what ixtent and-for what period they would re-quire financial help "rom this •association," The motion was carried.