NEW DESIGNATION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 November 1941, Page 5

NEW DESIGNATION

WELFARE COMMITTEES HELP FOR DISCHARGED SERVICE MEN. APART FROM THAT GIVEN BY GOVERNMENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Committees set up by the provincial patriotic councils .and their district organisations to provide, where necessary, an extra measure of relief for discharged ex-Service men and their dependents, over and above the provision made by the State, until their cases had been dealt with by appropriate State authorities, are to be known henceforth as welfare committees, not rehabilitation committees,

Rehabilitation is a responsibility fully accepted by the Government and it has no desire to pass it on to patriotic organisations. Attention was drawn to this by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Parry) when opening the national conference of patriotic bodies last week, and he expressed the hope that a word or phrase would be found which would more clearly contrast the respective responsibilities of the Government and patriotic organisations.

The conference decided on the name “welfare.” Announcing this, Mr G. Hayden, secretary of the National Patriotic Fund Board, said it was recognised that no matter how> well disposed towards ex-Service men a Government was, there were always exceptional cases calling for some extra assistance, the granting of which would mean much to a returned man and dependents on his resuming civil life. A proportion of the patriotic funds was ■ being set aside for this purpose, and this was a policy it was felt would meet with the full approval of the public.