RETURNED SOLDIERS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10603, 31 May 1920, Page 3

RETURNED SOLDIERS

ANNUAL CONFERENCE OPENED AT WELLINGTON ON SATURDAY. MAYOR WELCOMES DELEGATES. , - Tho fourth annual conference of tho New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association was opened at AVcllington on Saturday night, and will be continued throughout tho present week. A large number of delegates were m attendance at the Accountants’ Chambers, Johnston street, where the conference is being held. Dr. Boxer (president of the association) occu r pied tho chair. Tho Mayor (Mr J. P. Luke, C.M.G., M.P.) declared the conference open, and on behalf of the citizens of Wellington extended a hearty welcome to the delegates. Air Luke said that he was very pleased to be present, and felt it a distinct honour to be asked to come and identify himself with men who had done 'SO much Lor humanity and justice. (Applause.) Everybody in New Zealand, and iia the Empire generally, was very proud of what our men had done during the war. He very heartily welcomed the delegates to Wellington and hoped that tho result of their deliberations would bo fraught with benefit to this returned soldiers and to the Dominion as a whole. (Applause.) He hoped that they would bo the moans, not in a selfish spirit, of advancing their own interests only, but of advancing those of the community at large. (Applause.) As a member of Parliament, he welcomed tho delegates .- on behalf of" his fellowmembers, and assured rthem that all members of, the Legislature would watch their deliberations with great interest. The work of the conference this year would be viewed with anxiety and concern by some of their comindes who were not able to take an active part- in the work of the association ; and ’he commended to their care the men who, through sickness and wounds, were in that position, especially the gassed and the limbless men. The care of these men was, ho held, tile first duty of their association, of tho Government, and of tho people as a whole. (Applause.) It could be no nonder if limbless men, or men who had been gassed, should lose heart; andl the _ delegates and everybody In the Dominion should do their best to put heart into them and to help them in every possible way. (Applause.) He hoped that the_ work of the conference would result in removing a:5 far as possible the disabilities under which these men laboured. He. advised the delegates to base their demands, not on, special cases, but on biy>ad, general, and high principles, making, if found necessary, special provision for special eases. He thanked them for what they had done for their country, and wished tho conference every success. (Applause.) "NOT A PARTY OF 'CRANKS.” , Dr. Boxer thanked the Alayor for his welcome to the delegates and for his words of counsel and sympathy. Tho delegates, he stated, represented some sixty associations throughout New Zealand. This was their fourth conference, and they had now made the rounds ol tho four great centres I of the, Dominion. Tho limbless men ! and those with tho more obvious dis- ! abilities received, no doubt, ns a rule, j their duo meed of sympathy, but there j were tons of thousands of men in the ! country suffering from disabilities of i a less ’easily seen character, for which 1 they got ycry little recompense and i very little sympathy. (Hear, hear.) I At the present conference, the intention of the association was rather to indicate broad lines of general principle; and ho thanked the Mayor for what ho had said in that direction. (Applause.) Throughout,. tho association had endeavoured to indicate sound, reasonable, and sane methods to the powers that ho, and had asked them to carry them out. All their suggestions had not been carried out in their entirety. That was more than they could expect, but against that many of them had been given effect to. They felt, therefore, that tho thought; and work and worry of tho association had not been thrown away. (Applause.) Their work had, he claimed, greatly assisted the repatriation of the soldiers, and tho association had thus saved tho country from a position which might have resulted in something like a revolution, though not in an actual revolution, of tho returned soldiers. Ho thought that the country owe-d them a debt of gratitude, and that it was up to tho country to understand that the association had not been working for nothing ; that they were not a party of cranks, hut were a party, of sound, sane, sensible men who liad done their bit elsewhere; and that they were working, not so much for themselves, but for those who, because of their disabilities, wore not able to help themselves. (Applause.) On the motion of tho president, a hcartv vote of thanks was accorded the Alayor. , . 'The remainder of tho business of the evening was of a purely marhin-; cry character, verifying tho credentials of delegates, appointing sub-com-mittees to deal with the various aspects of tho work of tho conference, etc. SUNDAY'S PROCEEDINGS TUBERCULAR OASES. T.B. CONFERENCE REMITS ENDORSED. The question of returned aoldiere suffering from tuberculosis as a result of war service was discussed at considerable length by the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association . yesterday, when a number of resolutions carried by the T.B. Conference were dealt with seriatim. Dr Boxer (president of tho. association) submitted the report of the T.B. Conference, and in doing iso stressed the point that it was tho duty of the N.Z.U.S.A. to do all that it could to forward the interests of the men suffering from tuberculosis, and to enable them to become once more, if possible, citizens of economic value to their country. f The following resolutions passed ; by tho T.B. Conference were endorsed by tho N.Z.R.S.A. Conference: MEDICAL. “That T.B. men, on boiim discharged from sanatoria, be provided by tho Defence Department with permanently suitable shelters, properly furbished with bed, bedding, etc.” “That where a patient owns a house having a verandah, tho Defence Department defray the expenses of

having the verandah, glassed, in, in lieu of . a shelter.” ~ , “That the personnel of all sanatoria should, where possible, be ex-T.B. men, with n rank nob lower than thav of corporal.” “That the Repatriation Department, is to be notified by the sanatorium medical : officer six weeks previous tb the discharge of every patient.” “That 'compulsory examination' Jin made every six months of T.B. men, out-patients, and dischargees (not for pensions) by a specialist, or by the specialist who treated the man’* case, and, that the Defence ‘Department bo responsible for the transportation of patients to the specialist.’’ “That it be a rccommepdatign, to the D.G.M.S. to send a ’cligst - expert through New Zealand to examine all chest cases from N.Z.E.F.”

“That it bo a recommendation to ■the D.G.M.S. that the * present sys-,. tem of incurables in -sanatoria jn sepaT rate shelters be substituted by,a ward system.” . VOCATIONAL TRAINING. “That steps be immediately taken to have the Pukeora Farm at the sanatorium made into -a- training ground for T.B. men’s future occupations.’’ “That the vocational training ho taken from the Defence Department and placed in the hands of the Repatriation Department.” PENSIONS “That where a specialist certifies a man as incurable, he shall be granted a permanent full pension for life.” “That the specialist's recommendation on re-examination bo adhered to, and not that of the Pensions Board.” “That all T.B. men, on being discharged from sanatoria, receive a full and supplementary pension for a period of twelve months, and that they be reviewed for pension annually.’’ REPATRIATION. “That immediately on discharge the patient should bo able to start on his occupation, and that the Repatriation Department must ensure there is no delay.” “That the Government ho asked to appoint four T.B. men to the aftercare branch, one to each centre, and that a T.B. man of sanatorium experience bo appointed to supervise the work of the after-care branch from Repatriation Headquarters.” “That the Repatriation Department be asked to immediately make Tauherenikau, if it be suitable, a competent; training ground for T.B. men who intend to follow the occupations taught there.*’

“That men remain in training until certified as competent by their specialist instructors."

“That the Repatriation Department should confer with the Lands Department and find land of an acreage suitable to the applicant and subject to the specialist’s approval, and, further, that a suitable homo bo erected for him.” '

“That, im the event of recurrence of a man’s trouble, after having successfully repatriated, it should be an obligation of the , Repatriation Department to provide a competent substitute from the Repatriation Training Farm for the purpose of carrying on that man’s business while detained in a sanatorium.’’ OTHER RESOLUTIONS.

The, following resolutions moved by delegates veto also carried: “That a special committee of five bo set up by the' N.Z.R.S.A. to act in an advisory capacity, t,o . headquarters, the personnel of the . committee to ■ consist of three 'returned soldier chest experts and two T.B. patients.”

“That it here medical superintendents of sanatoria recommend that treatment in Australia or elsewhere would bo beneficial to T.B. patients, , the cost of their treatment_and_±ranat. portation abroad should be borne by the Government.’'

Hearty votes of thanks were accorded Mr J. Paw (general secretary) for the able manner in which .he. had presided ovter the T.B. Conference, and to the members of the conference for the good work they- had done. - •It was decided that a deputation from the N.Z.R.S.A. Conference shall wait upon the Prime Minister to-day to lay before him the T.B. resolutions adopted by the confercijce. i Shortly after 5.30 p.m. the conference adjourned till 9.30 this. morning.