REPATRIATION WORK

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 7, 4 October 1920, Page 8

REPATRIATION WORK

SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS. Tlw progress return of the Repatriation Department for the nineteen months ended September 20 states _ that there aro 78.350 names on the register. Since its inception tlio Department has placed 20,018 discharged soldiers in suitab'.o employment, and the number on tho "employment wanted" Tegister at the date of tho report is 18G. Tho majority of these Have registered for employment within the past few days, and it should be noted that at the present tim>3 not a single discharged wldier is drr-v.-ing unemployment sustenance allowance, i.e., has not been on tlio books of the Department for more than one week. Tho total amount paid out to date as unemployment sustenance is .£5203, an average expenditure of Is. 3d. per demobilised soldier. Vocational training (with sustenance or suftsidy) has been arranged for 5089 men, and of these 212G have finished thoir courses, leaving a balance of 2963 still being trained in special soldier classes and technical schoojs, or m tho workshops and factories of nrivate employers. An additional 1145 students who are attending evening classes at universities, or commercial colleges, or who are studying by correspondence ivith recognised institutions, have been assisted with grants towards fees and text-books. Officers of the Department keep in touch with all the trainees, and the latest reports show that tho latter are making excellent progress. This section of the Department's opeiations i.? showing a slight decrease month by month, and during September 104 men commenced training and 194 trainees completed thoir courses, and secured employment as skilled tradesmen. The total expenditure to date on trainiii" facilities, sustenance of trainees, ctc., is' .£200,667. After-care officers are doing good work by getting into personal touch with numbers of seriously disabled men, in an endeal our to further assist them by arranging any necessary medical treatment, rsconsideration of pension, placing in more suitable employment, arranging trsming otc., and up to dato the branch has dealt with the cases of 748 tubercular men, 238 amputees, and 245 men suffering from other serious disabilities. During tho past month aftcr-care officers lia'-'o also inspected 151 ex-soldiers whom tho Department is training in various trades and has supervised the trainees' wagr.s and general conditions. L steady decrease is apparent during the past few months in tho number of applications received for financial assistance, and a sulwtantial dccrca.se of expenditure in this direction is confidently anticipated. Up to September 20 4375 loans for the purpose of acquiring or establishing business had been approved bv the Ministerial Board, involving an expenditure of .£932,446. In addition to this. 9248 men have been granted loans for the purchase of household furniture, toois, etc., and a further 3735 havo rccei»ed financial assistance in other directions tho amount paid to, or on behalf of soldiers under all headings totalling Jii.17;;,512. The amonnt collected by tho Department up to August 31 on account of loans grante.l was .£274,002. Grantors aro in the great majority of cases meeting.their obligations with loyalty and promptitude, and fewer than 5 per cent, of the 14,158 ni9'.i who have been granted loans are in arrenr with their payments. Instalments amounting to ,£33,813 were collected during tho mouth of August, a rate of over .£400,000 per annum. A summary of assistance rendered is as follows:— Placed in employment 20,018 Trained or in training 0,231 Hnnrcially assisted 17,358 Total 43,610