DISABLED SOLDIERS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 181, 2 July 1937, Page 8

DISABLED SOLDIERS

DISPLAY OF WORK. REHABILITATION SCHEME. Under the auspices oF the Disabled Sailors’ and ’ Soldiers’ Mutual Association, the headquarters of which are in London, an exhibition and sale of work was opened in the Municipal Hall, yesterday afternoon, the official opening ceremony being performed by the Mayor (Mr A. E. Mansford). Mr B. J. Jacobs, president of the Palmerston North branch of the New Zealand R.S.A., presided and commended the enterprise to the support of the public. He welcomed Mr V . H. Guy, the organising-secretary of the movement, and stressed the good work which had been done in giving the disabled soldiers an interest in life. Mr Jacobs outlined the steps taken in N ew Zealand to assist the disabled ex-serviceman. First, there was the disability pension; then, in 1925, the economic pension; and more recent still and most important of all. the formation of the Soldiers Civil Re-establishment. I/eague. “Pensions are quite alright,’’ said the. speaker, “but a soldier does not like to have to depend entirely on the Government. He wants to do something which his disability will enable him to do. He wants to preserve his independence anti self-respect, and the rehabilitation schemes are framed with that object

in view. . .. Mr Guy, who .\long with Ins tvile, brought the exhibition to New Zealand, briefly outlined the work of his association, and said that the trip had the full approval of the New Zealand Soldiers’ Re-establishment League. The association, which was started in 1915 with one man who had no hands, and which had at that time no organisation, no workshops, no knowledge and no funds, had now grown to be the largest textile. printing organisation of its kind in the world, he declared. They had their own garden city, consisting of some 50 bungalows where each man was housed with his wife and children. In the centre were the workships where the fabrics were treated from the raw slate until they emerged as the finished article. All this had been achieved without ever making a charitable appeal to the public, and the industry liad grown to its present size through the highly skilled manufacture ot articles which sold to the public on their own merits. The degree of skill obtained was truly remarkable when it was remembered that there was no one working who had less than iO per cent, disability, the average was between 80 per cent, and 90 per cent.. and there were some cases classified as 100 per cent, (totally incapacitated). “Our gratitude and congratulations must go out to those who conceived this scheme for rehabilitating our wounded sailors and soldiers,” said the Mayor. Any person, any organisation. who sought to give those disnbled men that, independence which was so dear to every Englishman made a big contribution to society, lie, added. “The whole scheme of things—the wonderful display of articles—stands out conspicuously as an inspiration of what can be accomplished and is a further demonstration ot the spirit and dogged determination of the men who took the field at the call of duty in 1911-18.” Mr Mansford then declared the exhibition open. Assisting in the presentation in ■Palmerston North are members and lady friends of the local branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association and ot the Manawatu County Club. The articles on sale consist of handpainted (and hand-printed) scarves, silks, linens and canvas. There are beautiful dressing-gowns, bedspreads, tablecloths, cushion covers, aprons, cosies, etc. The craftsmanship is o. the highest possible standard, and this was recently recognised when the association were appointed textile printers to Royalty. It may be mentioned that the scarves, in particular, found much favour with the Royal Family, and Queen Mary had purchased two just before Mr, Guy s departure-