19

H.—39

For those who want training and assistance to enable them to secure work as employees at any branch of farming -or agricultural work we recommend the same organization and procedure, mutatis mutandis, as that which we shall recommend in relation to industrial, economical, and commercial pursuits—i.e., firstly, that all State and local-body farms, plantations, or gardens should, to the utmost of their abilities, absorb those persons whose circumstances and conditions we are considering, and that an organized effort be made to search out and introduce others of these persons to openings in private employment. Furthermore, we wish to emphasize the qualification of a sufficient degree of physical fitness. The evidence tendered to us is that farming of all classes must be ranked as hard work and not light work, and it cannot be done by intermittent work. Special Farming Schemes. A great deal of evidence, however, was tendered to us in favour of various farming schemes designed to use the remaining capacity of, and by this means assist, those ex-service men who are more or less disabled irrespective of the desire or necessity of making the undertaking self - supporting. These various schemes comprised State farms for the temporary training or more or less permanent employment of such men ; group farms whereby the benefit of co-operation and common service and equipment could be combined with individual interests and holdings of land ; also community settlements whereby, in varying degrees, communal ownership and administration extinguished or reduced the area of individual enterprise in groups or settlements of farmers. The claim of the ex-service man who as an individual would desire to be assisted on the land on the above basis was also presented to our notice. Some of the witnesses have given a great deal of thought and study to the problems involved in such schemes, and some of them went to a great deal of trouble in preparing detailed schemes for presentation to us. We have preserved their original statements and a record of their answers to our questions relating to these schemes in the notes of evidence. We do not think it necessary or proper that we should load this report with a description or discussion of these schemes, but with the safeguard we have already advocated we place the recommendations before those persons who will be charged with the duty of carrying out any plans or schemes which may result from the presentation of this report to Your Excellency's Advisers. We set oat in the appendix to this report, in Table E, a summary of the schemes above described, in an endeavour to place useful information and means of guidance to fuller information in the hands of those who will be the administrators of future schemes of rehabilitation of ex-service men. We suggest that in the League (hereinafter referred to) which we hope to see formed to co-ordinate all the activities and provisions designed for the assistance of ex-soldiers there should be a department or branch devoted to the farming and agricultural pursuits as a means of such rehabilitation. Unskilled Labour. We come now to consider the means by which the best use can be made of the remaining capacity of such persons as must seek their livelihood as labourers of various classes. It seems clear from the evidence tendered to us from all parts of the Dominion that this class will comprise the greatest number of all of those whose conditions fall within the scope of our inquiry. Firstly, there is the unskilled manual labourer. We recommend that he should become the care of the employment and after-care officers of the League which we hope to see created to carry out our recommendations. It will be the duty of these employment officers to explore all possible openings for employment: firstly, all openings that exist or may be created in the activities of the Central Government of the State ; secondly, openings that exist or may be created in the activities of local and public bodies ; and, thirdly, avenues of employment that may be provided by private employers. As we shall point out in that pa.rt of our report in which we develop our main recommendation, a great deal can be done by the energy, tact, and skill of competent officers whose duty it will be to find openings for the man whose interests they are required to watch. The problem has many difficulties inherent in the