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R.S.A. ATTITUDE TO REHABILITATION

Direct Financial Vote

MINISTER TO HOLD ONE PORTFOLIO ONLY

Its attitude toward rehabilitation was delined, as follows, by the R.S.A, Dominion council iu conference in Wellington yesterday :— , The Minister of Rehabilitation should have full charge of the administration of the Act. He should have his own rehabilitation vote and not be dependent upon any Government department for his finance. , ~ The Rehabilitation Department should operate the Act and State departments and other organizations should act as agents only of the Rehabilitation Board. The Rehabilitation Board should be reconstituted; it should be full-time and consist of six persons (not less than five), and departmental 'officers should not be members of the board but act iu an advisory capacity only, when required. • A policy of decentralization should be carried out by the appointment of district rehabilitation committees with executive powers to grant loans and other general powers, as may be delegated to them by the Rehabilitation Board; personnel of district rehabilitation committees to be chosen from local rehabilitation committees and to include at least one representative of the R.S.A.; district rehabilitation committees to be constituted in the same manner as the reconstituted Rehabilitation Board. A rehabilitation committee of the conference considered 151 remits. Presenting its recommendations, Mr. G. A. Hayden (Wellington) referred to the statement of the Minister of Rehabilitation. Major Skinner, that holding the portfolio of Lands and Forestry assisted him in the rehabilitation work. He might as well say that if he had the portfolio of State Advances and Finance he would be better off still. The association still considered that a Minister of Rehabilitation should hold no other portfolio. It was a “lot of bunk” to say there were constitutional difficulties against the Rehabilitation Department getting its own vote from Parliament. The departmental vote on the Rehabilitation Board outweighed the independent vote: that must be altered. Without decentralization there would be chaos when the men began to return in their thousands. Tlie conference considered that the rate of interest charged in rehabilitating serricemen was too high nnd that the loans on farms, homes and businesses should be not more than 3 per cent.; that this be the maximum on all rehabilitation loans, nnd such rate should be retrospective to all rehabilitation loans of this war. i National Loan. The conference recommended that a national loan for rehabilitation lie floated, placed entirely nt the disposal of the Rehabilitation Board, and let out at not more than 3 per cent, to ex-servicemen and women. , , . Other resolutions included: (a) That the time is overdue for the- personnel of the local rehabilitation committees in nil districts to. be reviewed: (b) that ah local committees be consulted on all. cases coming in within their area: that in the representation of the personnel of the local committees, the R.S.A. have two representatives; that the maximum loan for procuring a business be increased from £5OO to such an amount ns the case under review warranted: that the maximum furniture loan be increased to £-00, only £l6O to be repaid and the balance written off as sales tax. A resolution was also approved favouring servicemen who had financed before entering the forces being able to re.-finance at rehabilitation rates. Against Differentiation. This remit was adopted: “That the method of differentiation between men from the -Middle East and from the Pacific in rehabilitation benefits is wrong in principle, and every case should be dealt with on its merits. It is considered that all men or women (Navy, Merchant Navy, Army, or Air Force) in the Middle East. Pacific, or any other war zone,, should be treated equally in rehabilitation.” x . The rehabilitation of men m the taxi industry was discussed and several remits carried. These said it was essential that owner taxi licences should be made available for returned men, expressed the view that/it was against the interests of returned men already in the industry for licences to be increased beyond the public needs hut, where this position had 'been reached, the only "way to make an appreciable number available was by a redistribution of existing licences. Therefore, it was necessary for a proportion of the existing licences to be withdrawn and made available as suggested, the process to be gradual to ensure a proper proportion for redistribution on general demobilization. The whole transport industry should be reviewed to dispose of multiple taxi owners, licences so confiscated should be for rehabilitation purposes, and any transfer of a licence should be to the nominee of the rehabilitation officer. The conference decided to bring to the notice of the Minister of Transport the practice of members of the Auckland and Christchurch taxi control committee appearing against ex-servicemen, . before their respective licensing authority, on behalf of taxi organizations. It was emphasized that references to appointments of departmental officers intended no reflection on the integrity and capability of the Public Service, but it was considered that such officers should act as advisers, not as board or committee members. Mr. R. G. Mason (Auckland) complained of two cases where returned men, taking ill soon after resuming civilian work, were refused a renewal of their rehabilitation allowance because they told the rehabilitation officer that they were returning to the same employment as soon as they could. Mr. C. W. Batten said he agreed that one of these men was entitled to the resumption of the allowance. On the other hand, there had been some abuses, many men just taking 13 weeks’ holiday on rehabilitation allowance. There had been £250,000 spent and some tighteningup had been necessary.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19440630.2.68

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 234, 30 June 1944, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
925

R.S.A. ATTITUDE TO REHABILITATION Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 234, 30 June 1944, Page 6

R.S.A. ATTITUDE TO REHABILITATION Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 234, 30 June 1944, Page 6

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