NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS IN ENGLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 May 1917, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS IN ENGLAND.

DISABLED SOLDIERS. THE-.PROBLEM OP RE-EDUCATION. ■ (By Capt. Malcolm Ross, Official War Correspondent. February .18. During my recent leave in England, at the suggestion of General Richardson, 1 took tlie opportunity of visiting Jtoehampton, where there is an institution that is solely engaged in supplying new limbs to soldiers who have lost a leg, an arm, a foot, or a hand in the war, and I followed that visit by another to the Lord Roberts Memorial Workshops for disabled soldiers and sailors at Fulliam. In the following article I purpose giving my impressions of both institutions, with a view to interesting the people of New Zealand in a problem that will very soon be engaging their attention, if it is not already doing so. The Government, I believe, has taken ■the matter in hand, and no doubt tho question will bo made a State one, but even so the co-operation of individuals will be necessary if the re-education of the disabled soldier is to be put on a thoroughly satisfactory basis. Roehampton is beautifully situated on the outskirts of London, and in the charming, wooded club grounds old buildings have been converted and new builiings erected for the housing of soldiers who have lost one or more limbs, for workshops where artificial limbs can be partially made and put together, arid where, also, the men themselves can be trained in the process of manufacture, and in the use of the limbs when they are fitted. There are 50me.550 beds in the institution. In the Overseas Ward I found about sixty patients. And a very cheery lot they \vere. There were representatives from many parts of the Outer Empire, amotlg them eight New Zealanders. Tho Australians had been taken to their own hospitals, and came to Roehampton only to have their new limbs fitted. One merry New Zealander. who was the life of the ward, pulled his artificial arm from under the bed, and proceeded to litter the quilt with all the appliances connected with the new limb, including a small vice, and ingenious contrivances for holding a hammer, a spadp, or a book. He had two artificial arms. "This is not a bad arm," ho said, addressing the man he had thrown on tho bodcover. "You put the spade in this contrivance, lock it, and then work away for dear life," lie added. 'He is not in love with the other arm," chimed in the Canadian sister who was showing us round. She referred to another arm of a different make. The wounded soldier became humorously sarcastic. "How do you think a man is going to take a job running about a farm with an arm like tliat'f" he asked. "You cannot milk a cow with it, and it's a bit awkward if your best girl comes in on the wrong side of the picture. As for me, I'm too bashful a man to ask her to change over." At this sally a ripple of laughter ran through, the ward. What struck me ,mosti£was the splendid cheerfulness of these one-legged and one-armed men. One noticed it especially wtih the colonials. "They're like that all day," said the nurse, "they're the life and soul of the place, and the duller the day the more they sing." I have in a former article referred to the excellent work that is being done at Roehampton, and a good deal lias also appeared in the English press regarding it. It is only necessary to add that_ no better place could be found for the New Zealanders, who through the misfortunes of war, find themselves minus a leg or an arm, a hand or a foot. It is marvellous how expert they soon become in the use of their artificial limbs. You may even see a man who has lost both legs walking about without the aid of a crutch or even a stick. That may appear an astounding statement to make. It is nevertheless a fact. But with the fitting of the artificial limbs the problem before the nation is only beginning. If the man is to remain a useful unit of the community lie must work, and the problem of his re-educa-tion lias to be taken in hand at the earliest opportunity. In England, so far, the State has done nothing. The matt;? has been left Entirely to individual effort; but such an excellent start lias been made that probably the State may not need to come in at all. This very excellent work . being carried on at the Lord Roberts Memorial Workshops. The institution was founded after \the South African War, and has now been a going concern for twelve years on a self-supporting basis. Lord Roberts himself took the keenest interest in the scheme, and at the outbreak of the present war it was realised by him and by the committee, that if they were to successfully deal with the greatly increased numbers of disabled it would be necessary to largely extend their original plans, *lt was decided later to carry o:t the good work as a memorial to Lord Roberts and a large factory was started in London. The work began with toymaking as the main industry, and in this way a two-fold purpose was served —employment was secured for the men maimed by the Germans, and at the same time German trade was captured By Ihe end of the first year over eighty different kinds of toys were being produced in large quantities, and a hundred disabled men were employed. The output became so lf.rge that the industry had to be put on a commercial basis,' and branches of the workshops were established in other parts of the Kingdom. While in London dolls and wooden toys were made, in Birmingham metal toys were manufactured, and in Bradford a printing branch was established to print catalogues, posters, stationery, etc. Other branches make baskets and brushes, household articles, furniture, and various other tilings. A few minutes after I had handed my card in at the Fulham Works I was welcomed by a New Zealand girl, Miss ( Sale, daughter of the late Professor Sale, of Dunedin, and she it was who showed me through the workrooms. Miss Sa o is a clever illustrator, an 1 came originally to the factory to draw designs, but in addition to this she is' now taking ?. share of more important work oil the organising side, t tour through tho workshops is most interesting. Men from the Army and Navy are now making good wages after having, owing to the loss of an arm or a leg, to learn a new trade. In the doll-making industry the wives and daughters of some of the maimed soldiers are also employed. They are able to do the painting and other work that the men would not care to do, and thus add considerably to the income of the disabled soldier. In the factory i men are both trained, and employodicontinuouslv. A man may, however, seels work with an outside firm at any time he likes. On the other hand, ho may i stay In the factory all his life with ] profit to himself and the Institution, s

Wages are roach, the standard rafe Itjj'is,'.surprising how adept the men. with one arm become at carpentering and other work. The sailors are much quicker to adapt themselves to their new environment than the soldiers. Jack was ever a handy man. Miris Sale informed me that the public had been liberal with their donations. Firms, and individuals have presented machines that can be used in the shops. People are doing this instead of erecting stained-glass windows as memorials. Here is an idea for New Zealand. One comes upon an automatic lathe presented by a father and mother "in memory of their gallant son killed ir. France." That is indeed a sensible memorial, and one entirely in harmony with the times.

In going through the workrooms, one finds soldiers from many fronts, indicating the far-reaching enterprises of the British in this war. Here, working at an automatic lathe, is a private in tli3 Dorsets, who had his left elbow smashed and his hand rendered useless in Mesopotamia. He is now earning 27s weekly, in addition to his State pension. In another room we meet a man from the Navy with his right • hand amputated. He was formerly an engine cleaner. He is now earning 34s a week working a bund saw. He gets his State pension as well. There is a corporal from the Rifio Brigade, formerly a farmer, who, with his right arm amputated, is stil! able to earn 28s a week at a circular [srw. A one-handed man from the Dorsets, formerly a gas-fittor's mate, is now employed at a band-saw cutting out educational alphabets. A Hussar, formerly a bricklayer, has had his right foot amputated, but he earns 27s a week at a toy-maker's assembling bench.. Ail R.F.A. gunner with a. shattered shoulder gets a State pension and earns 23s a week at the same employment. He was formerly a rivetter. And so the tale goes on. In the doll-making industry the painting is practically all d'ono by children. The composition of which the German dolls were made was a secret, but the secret was found out in the Roberts Memorial Workshops, and the German doll trade may now be regarded as largely captured by Britain. The sup--ily is greater than is needed for England, and colonial and foreign markets are now being tapped with good results. While it would probably be wasted effort for disabled New Zealanders to take up such work as doll-making, they might very well be re-educated in such crafts as carpentering, basket-making, furniture manufacture, e.tc. This, I believo, is the idea of the General Commanding tho New Zealand troops in England, who is taking a very keen interest in the matter, and is having a comprehensive report made on the whole question. All the. re-educating necessary is so far as >J\v Zealand soldiers are concerned can no doubt be provided in New Zealand. It is simply a matter of deciding whether it is to be left to privato enterprise, as in England, or to ■the State, and of organising, well in advance, the best methods of accomplishing the desired end. In the words of uio tho organisers of the Lord Roberts Mcmmorial, we have to provide not for the present only, but for the whole future life of our brave men. Vie shall have to take them as they come—lame and halt—from the battlefield, and make of them efficient and capable workmen, not receivers of charity, but valuable units in our industrial and economic scheme.

The system adopted, so far as New Zealand is concerned, hero is simple Every disabled man in our force is registered, and the information is sent out to New Zealand, so that the authorities there may see at a glance whether the man will be able to "osume his former employment,-the natural of the employment he wishes to take up if he cannot resume his former employment, anil the nature of the employment the medical authorities think he will be best suited for. That is all that can be done at present by the Command in England. The Roberts Memorial people have offered to take 100 Australians p.i £SO a head and train them in their workshops at toy-making, etc., but one sees no reason why our training should not be done in New Zealand. We might get a few instructors trained in England in some special branches in which training cannot be so well obtained in New Zealand, but generally, in the- ordinary workshops or in a special institution, the necessary training for maimed New Zealand could surely be obtained in their own country. The technical schools might very well ;bo made -ise of. The re-education of the totally blind from the wars is now being undertaken at St. Runstan's Hospital, London, and the few cases of totally blind New Zealanders will no doubt continue to be sent there. A New Zealand lieutenant, who hae himself lost an arm, is being send the round of the various institutions in England with a view to Obtaining for New Zealand the fullest information on the subject of the reeducation and employment of disabled soldiers,' and he will be able on his re turn to assist those in New Zealand who will be charged with this very important work. It will take a disabled man from six to nine months to learn a new, vocation. The State experimental farms might afford one source of employment. There are at present in our hospitals in England about a hundred eases in which re-education will have to be undertaken.