H.—3o

4

A double card index is kept of all men desiring employment, one set being sorted under the heading of occupation and the other according to district. We are thus enabled to turn up at a moment's notice particulars of men throughout the Dominion desiring employment in any particular trade, and conversely particulars of all men desiring various classes of employment in any particular district. Similar indexes are kept of offers of employment. Specimens of the cards or slips used for both purposes are shown in Appendix V (o, n, E, and f). Once a week a list showing the number of men desiring employment in each district is forwarded to all the Committees. This enables them to check the number of cases which they still have in hand, and incidentally engenders perhaps a little friendly rivalry amongst the respective districts not to fall behind one another in attention to the very important element in the returned soldiers' welfare which is entrusted to their care. Progress Statement at Date of this Memorandum. The total number of men registered with the Department at the date of this memorandum is 9,070, and these have been dealt with as follows : — (a.) Cases disposed of : Placed in employment, returned to military duty or their old employment, or signed a statement that they do not require the Department's assistance, &c. ... ... ... 7,298 (b.) Cases under action : Department making inquiries on soldier's behalf or awaiting notice of discharge, &c. ... ... ... 881 (c.) Cases not ready for action : : Men recently returned to New Zealand, now convalescing, not ready for employment and not yet discharged by the military authorities... ... ... ... 692 (d.) Men for whom employment is desired ... ... ... ... 199 9,070 Fuller details in tabulated form regarding the men on the register will be found in Appendices 1, 11, and 111. Training of Disabled Men in New Industries. Cognate to and intimately associated with the question of employment is that of the training in new industries of men incapable of following their old occupations. This is a matter which from the inception qf the Department has engaged its most earnest consideration, and various agencies were early established with that end in view. These may be briefly summarized as follows Training in farm-work : Arrangements have been made with the Agricultural Department to accept a limited number of men for training in various branches of farm-work at the State farms. The advantages offered under this heading have not been greatly availed of, very few soldiers up to the present having inquired on the subject. Training in office-work and book-keeping : The expenses for this branch of training have been most generously undertaken by the New Zealand Society of Accountants. Admission to the classes (oral and by correspondence) is free, and the subjects embraced are those prescribed for the society's Book-keeping Examination, and further advantages are offered in the way of payment of University fees, in the case of pupils recommended by the teachers as fit to sit for examination. A considerable number of men have from time to time entered for the classes, but it is understood that with few exceptions the attendance has been desultory and the progress poor, and it has lately been intimated to the Department by the secretary that the Council of the society is now considering whether it is justified in continuing the expenditure of some hundreds of pounds for such unsatisfactory results. The matter is unquestionably one for very profound regret, the scheme having originally been adopted by the society on its own initiative, and promising, as we all hoped, very valuable developments. Subject to the recommendation of the Department, free places at the technical schools are provided for discharged soldiers who are unfitted to continue their old occupations, and at the present time sixty-nine men are undergoing training at these institutions. Communications on the subject of free places for soldiers were first entered into with the Education Department on the 2nd September, 1915, and the necessary Order in Council was approved and signed on the 21st March, 1916. The facilities for the various branches of training enumerated above are systematically brought under the notice of the men, and the poor response can scarcely be due to lack of knowledge on the part of those who would materially benefit by availing themselves of them. The officers who personally interview the soldiers on behalf of the Department specially bring the matter under the men's notice, handing each a leaflet in which the various facilities are clearly and briefly set out. A copy of this leaflet will be found in Appendix V (g). Special Allowances to Men undergoing Training. With a view to removing an obstacle which occurred to the Department as perhaps standing in the way of the men desirous of undergoing industrial training, the Government some time ago decided to grant allowances on account of board and lodging to men attending the classes. These allowances are altogether irrespective of any pension which may have been, allotted. They are limited to £1 per week, and are granted subject to the training chosen being as far as can be judged suited to the man's capacity, and their continuance is made dependent upon good conduct, regularity of attendance, and satisfactory progress. It is hoped that the adoption of the scheme