ADVERSE COMMENT

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 139, 9 December 1929, Page 12

ADVERSE COMMENT

ECONOMIC PENSIONS

"WRONG IN PRINCIPLE"

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

The system of economic pensions, so far as partially disabled men were concerned, was adversely commented updon. in a statement presented to the Soldiers' Rehabilitation Commission to-day, on behalf of Colonel G. T. Hall, president of the Wellington Returned SoU dicrs' Association. Colonel Hall doscribed the system as being wrong in principle, and said that it gave facilities for men to become hangers-on and non-useful members of society—a position that 95 per cent, were opposed to, but they were.unable, owing to their physical disabilities, to obtain such employment as their strength woiild permit.

The most important .question in Ma opinion was the absolute necessity to devise means to give occupation to a very large number of men who to-day had lost their will-power owing to their physical disabilities, and who were content to drift. That drift had to ba stopped at any cost, as it was a, loss in man power and a habitual loss in production or service, and a greater loss in the lowering of that manhood which, was given so freely in the time of need. Colonel Hall's statement continued: I would, therefore, say that it 13 highly desirable that: (1) Steps be taken to set up an organisation in the centre such as Wellington, whose object would be to rehabilitate those men by vocational training which in my opinion was closed down too early; (2) that such training should be carried out upon lines that would either partially or wholly restore the economic position

1. Training- unskilled men in occupations that they can fill, such as leatherwork, basket-work, growing of flowers, toyniaking, footwear repairing, etc. * To complete the training of partiallveompctent tradesmen whose progress of training was stopped by the war. 3. To establish workshops or industries, either by the Government or by arrangement with proprietors, as in the case of the M'Kie Limb Factory, where limbless men are employed. 4. That a modified form of the Repatriation Department bo reopened at Wellington in the first instance, whose duty it would be to control the training and thfi employment of disabled soldiers in Aew Zealand. 5. That each. R.S.A. in the main centres bo an ex-Service* men's labour bureau, whose duty it would be to investigate the cases and submit their findings and recommend&-

tions to the suggested Repatriation Department.

■UNEMPLOYMENT.

There were three categories of unemployed men to be dealt with, he said. They were:—l. The unemployable man who through his weaknesses could not be recommended to a private or Government employer. 2. The man who was willing to work but, owing to his disability, which caused broken time was difficult to place. 3. The man -who was incapacitated but with disability not due to war service.

Colonel Hall suggested a home farm for men in categories 1 and 3, and for men in category 2 he would say that there were many Government, municipal, and other positions which could be filled by such men. He would recommend that the Government at least £11 all vacancies that arise, such as liftmen, messengers, night-watchmen, cleaners, etc., from that section.