LOCAL COMMITTEES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 June 1942, Page 2

LOCAL COMMITTEES

TO ASSIST REHABILITATION BOARD. NONE YET PROVIDED FOR IN WAIRARAPA. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Local committees to assist returned servicemen and carry out the decisions of the Rehabilitation Board are to be established in 22 main centres and in other localities as required. The board has decided that these committees, which will be honorary, will consist of a member of the Rehabilitation Council if resident in the area, the member of Parliament for the district, representation from local authorities, such as borough or city councils, town boards or county councils, also from the Returned Services’ Association, organised labour, business or farming interests according to the locality, Women’s War Service Auxiliary, Maori representation when necessary, or any other person whom the Rehabilitation Board may consider necessary. At its discretion the board may invite nominations from representative organisations, and has already approaches the Municipal Association. Committees will hold office as the board appoints, though it is considered that the term will usually be 12 months. Any member of the Rehabilitation Council who is a member of a local committee will be chairman, but if no councillor is included the committee will elect its own chairman. The secretary will be a Government officer appointed by the board. It is laid down that the functions of the committees will be to advise the board about employment, training and study for civilian occupation, land settlement, housing, financial assistance needed by returned servicemen to buy land, businesses, stock, implements, or furniture. The construction of the committees provides that they “will render all possible assistance, guidance, and advice to all returned servicemen. in their districts, to the Rehabilitation Board and its officers, and to the offices of the State Advances Corporation, Land Settlement, National Service, Pensions and Native Departments, and to vocational guidance officers.” Details of every returned man will be sent to the local committees, which will report to the board on their progress, means and general position at least once a year. It is explicity laid down that all communications between the bodies and all information .concerning the activities of the board or the committees shall be confidential. Centres where committees will be established are: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, . Invercargill, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Napier, Hastings, Whangarei, Nelson, Gisborne, Wairoa, Wanganui, Rotorua, Thames, Blenheim Grey mouth, New Plymouth, Oamaru, Timaru, Westport.

PROMPT ACTION. MATTER TAKEN UP BY MAYOR OF MASTERTON. The Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, referring to the omission of Masterton or the Wairarapa from the list of rehabilitation committees, announced above, said he had already taken up the matter with the authorities and he was hopeful that the omission would be rectified and a local committee appointed.