LIMBLESS SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 222, 13 June 1919, Page 5

LIMBLESS SOLDIERS

A\TALK WITH GENERAL RICHARDSON HOPEFUL OUTLOOK About forty limbless returned soldiers attended a meeting at the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Club last evening, when Brigadier-General G. S. Richardson, C.M.G., attended at the invitation of tho local R.S.A. to address them. Mr. R. J. F. Aldrich presided in tho absence of tho chairman, Mr. J. D. Jlarper.

In introducing the General, tho chairman expressed the appreciation of Die men at the interest he had displayed in the civil re-establishment of the uioii, and, all were happy to eeo him- in thuir midst once again. The secretary (Mr. A. Curtayne) explained tho object of these meetings. Ho said that it was thought that_ tho limbless men, would be better abio to explain their position clearlv, and state iust what they wanted, 'lho roquiroments of the men had been noted, and inquiries made in-the direction of finding suitable employment for all th-jso who: were unable to follow thuir prtwar occupations. Arrangements had been made for training tho men in tho beekeeping industry at Runkura and other farming at Weraroa Training Farm, but the men required to-know, whether, after receiving this training, they would bo able to carry on in tho particular ocoupation they - had been trained for, and 'whother it would be a paying, proposition. Tho General said that he had been most anxious to meet the "limies." There wero very few people who understood the limbless soldier. Nothing impressed him so much as -a visit to Roohampton—it brought home to him the real horrors of war. Ho nas vary sympathetic with the limbless, but ho wanted to bo praotical.' During, the time he va4 in England he studied tho disabledsoldier problem, and saw that it would loom up large after the war. It was up to the people, of the country to seo that the Government was backed up, to see that the "limies" were made comfortable for life.' He did not want to 6ee the limbless soldiers put on to temporary occupations. He desired to see them settled in permanent positions. He was going to take a close interest in the limbless soldier, but he asked those present to remember that thero wero numbers o{ other disabled soldiers who were worse off than the limbless soldier. The N.Z.E.F. had suffered 50,000 battle casualties, and of . that number 1000 were limbless. Then there , were the cases cf 6ickness, enteric, etc., and thoso sufferers would have to be' re-established. Eighty per cent, of the 1000 of the limbluss who had come back' would have to ba provided with employment. "Ton nlust get down to a definite policy, What is your policy? You'will nave to ,seo that you all get jobs at good salaries irrespective of your pensions." Continuing the General said be would liko all tho men to let lijrn know exactly how they wer« pla-ced.

On asking hot found that fifteen of those at the meeting were minus one arm, and of those six were in permanent employment. Two of the remamdor wero in temporary employment. One man said ho was learning French polishing, bill could not get on too well. Another man said that he was a temporary clerk employed at tho Education Department, and a third man was a tomporury mcsewigcr employed in the Ordnance Corps. In regard to tho legless men only a very few were in permanent employment, a>nd about half it dozen, were in temporary employment, whilst the remainder wore out of employment. At this stage tha General made individual inquiries of each man as to his position and prospects in life, and noted cases for special inquiry. In conclusion, tho General thanked tho men for putting their cases before him. lie had learnt a good deal from what had been said, and he hoped that in a few montns' time there would not be any further need for complaint. "I don't want to see any limbless soldier knocking around "Wellington out of work," said tU6 General m conclusion. A voto of thanks to the General was carried by acclamation.

ASSISTANCE FROM DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. "I have pleasure in stating'that tho Department of Agriculture is working in cordial co-operation with the Repatriation Department in endeavouring to do the best possible for returned soldiers who are interested in tho various occupations carried out on tho land," stated Dr. C. J. Reakes, Director-General of Agriculture, in a letter to the secretary of the R.S.A., which was read at last evening's meeting of limbless soldiers. "In regard to those returned men who, through wounds, sickness, etc., are incapacitated from following those branches of work requiring complete physical fitness, special provision is mado at the Ruakura Farm for giving them facilities' for obtaining instruction in tho lighter occupations, such as beekeeping, horticulture, fruit-farming, poultryraising. etc. A new building has' just been - erected' for their accommodation, and will very _shortly be 1 ready for occupation. In addition to this, should the number of men offering be sufficiently large, I would bo very pleased to cooperate with the Repatriation Department in utilising one or more of the horticulture stations of thn Department, where horticulture, fruit-farming, and beekeeping can be studied, and generally to make available all facilities possessed bv the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of assisting in tho work of the Repatriation Department in connection with returned soldiers, especially those whose scope of outdoor occupation is limited.

' "In addition to this, we are doing all that we can to assist in providing facilities for returned soldiers to lenrn general farming, and in regard to this, apart from the State farms-proper, the Department and the Repatriation Department are working in closo co-operation with the Wairarapa Training Farm Committee. which is actively engaged in preparing a -large farm near Masterton for accommodating a number of returned soldiers, and in giving them facilities for learning general farming, carried out on the best and up-to-date line 3."