HOMEWARD BOUND.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1918, Page 4

HOMEWARD BOUND.

THE RETURNING TRANSPORT * SYSTEM OF DISCHARGE . , iffiSCRIBEft Wellington, Deo. 17. Over two thousand New Zealand ia valided soldiers are Bearing the D*» minion on transports, and will have th« pleasure of spending Christmas among, their friends, unless their ailments ar« too serious to permit discharge before hospital treatment. First for return are the hospital eases and convalescents. Then will come the men who are still fit. At present, the Defence Department has to prepare for the invalids, and for this reason the new system of facilitating discharge straight from the ship's side will not be possible. So the friends of the men who are returning between now arid December 22 will have to exercise a few hours' patience after the transport's arrival* to enable soldier relatives to- be properly equipped with warrants for their privi. leges, and to be medically, and dentally overhauled -before returning to. civil life. This process in .'some of the Dominions involves a stay in a demobilisation camp, or leave with the obligation to report to a office for medical; Jboarding, a procedure which will' be completed in connection with the men .returning here this month on- board tho Vessel upon their arrival. But an im» proved system is being adopted which can be worked when the fit men commence to' return.

Captain Bartlett, formerly, of Base Records, Wellington, who recently re- ' turned to England for further active service, and Sergeant-MJajor Gardiner, who for several years was the N. 0.0. in charge of the medical (boarding of returned soldiers in Wellington, are to he at the disposal of General Richardson in London for the purpose' of instructing staffs which will he sent out j with each transport to deal with the I returning soldiers en route, enabling them to disembark on arrival without any delay whilst iboarding arrangements are being carried out-as at pies-' ent. . As is the case at present, it will not, under this system, be necessary for a returned man to again: go neaT a Defence office after leaving the vessel. He may have to return certain articles of kit which he will want for a time, but he can send them back by post. The new scheme provides for the holding of Demobilisation Boards on returning transports prior to "arrival in New Zealand. Detailed instructions have been printed and sent to England, showing how the medical papers have to be prepared, how his dental examination and treatment is to fee undertaken, the medical bdardinj, Issue of hospital treatment certificates for use after arrival, discharge of fit men, the provision of leave on pay and a four weeks' free raijway pass, noti- ■ fication to next-of-kin that he is about to arrive, and preparation of pension claim where this is necessary. There is a good deal to do for each individual soldier, but under this system the staff will have the whole period of the vdyage for the woTk, and will be detailed specially for it, with no other duties to distract them. It iB intended to establish a training school in England for the instruction of suitable men, who will come out as the Demobilisation Staff, and be discharge;! with the other soldiers on the transport upon their arrival. JTo expense will thus be incurred in sending staffs ef trained men backwards and forwards, doing nothing during the journey to England^ An experiment was made to ascertain if an officer used to military .form could pick up the duties from the printed instructions. He did so in a few hcniTs, and carried through a sample demobilisation quite correctly. Thus it is assumed that only a few days' training will ba needed to make the Demobilisation Staff efficient.

' But there is an important element which has needed special attention—that of the medical standard to be observed in classifying the returned men. ''Doctor* differ," it is said, and this must be recognised. Where one medico would discharge a man with provision for out-pa.tient treatment at a hospital, another man would order him to become an in-patient. And there are different of practice or opinion in regard to the degree of disability. For these reason.) it is highly important that each transport should have on Jx>ar&> for purposes 'of medical classification, medical men who are familiar with the New Zealand standard of treatment. There haa not:yet been sufficient-time to atrang# ; f Or the . supply of medical .men with fhtSi 1 experience, but before the fit men comMMco. to embark this will have been arfaftged,, -and - : the; system of tetuminjr xfiiir men: who have so worthily done their part in the- victorious struggle should be smooth-working, and free from dcleiy the men come in sight of tomo.