H.—39

20

nature and condition of many of the men whom it is sought to help. Many of them are casual labourers by nature —they would have been casual labourers had there been no war. Their casualness has been somewhat increased as the result of war service. The mental and physical quality that we intend to denote by the word "casualness" varies in all degrees, from those cases- quite an appreciable number —to whom any long stretch of steady work seems to become irksome, down to those —fortunately few in number —who would be classed by the most charitably disposed person as " non-triers." In lieu of these disabilities, and in some cases in addition to them, there are those which arise from impaired health and physical disability, such as loss of limbs. In such cases men break down under the stress of work and are continually requiring the provision of a lighter class of work ; others become intermittent workers only ; in fact, many are physically incapable of doing more than intermittent work, the intervening periods being those of idleness due to nervous, mental, or physical breakdown. The difficulties of working these men into our existing economic and industrial machinery is apparent and should need no stressing. In very many cases, however, the evidence has satisfied us that the position is not as hopeless as it would seem. The care and attention of an employment or aftercare officer will in many instances, if pursued with patience, work considerable improvement. The men have to be studied as individuals, and often the result is that they make good. In all the centres we heard of men who were thought to be hopeless until, in some cases accidentally, it was found that if put to work quite alone they would work well, but would immediately cease to do good work (perhaps cease work altogether) if some other person worked with them, or in some cases even in sight of them ; the mental or nervous balance being so frail that the presence of another individual brings about distraction or complete inability to work. Others again show the opposite tendency. Frequently, in both cases, a period of patient and lenient treatment by employers is followed by considerable improvement. The same remarks are, of course, applicable to those who would be classified as being in the ranks of more or less skilled manual labourers. It is, however, we think, obvious after a moment's thought, and it was made clear to us by the evidence, that as we rise in the scale of work, judged by the skill and the personal qualities it requires, so are we apt to find a better response among the men therein employed when their training and betterment are sought. Artisans and Skilled Tradesmen. Members of this class can also be assisted greatly by putting into operation again something closely akin to the work of the Repatriation Board. It is in this class, perhaps, that an employment officer doing the work that was formerly undertaken by the Repatriation Officers can do his best work. The difficulties are still temperamental—unfitness for steady and sustained effort, aggravated in some cases by nervous, mental, and bodily unsoundness in varying degrees —and this expresses itself industrially in intermittent work. It is quite obvious that it is difficult to take 011 such a worker as a unit in a well-organized factory or workshop without running the almost certain risk of periodical disorganization. Nevertheless the experience of Repatriation Officers in the past, and the assurances of support that we have received from responsible representatives of employers and of manufacturers' associations, warrant us in assuring Your Excellency and Your Excellency's Advisers that a great deal can be done to convert men of this class into reliable full-time workmen. A great many witnesses stressed the point that the removal of the fear of unemployment would result in a great increase in the efficiency and reliability in many of these men, and, if coupled with this there is continuous sympathetic and tactful help as part of an organization designed to assist ex-service men, much can be done to better the conditions of men of this class. As to the possibilities of finding employment for men of this class by enlisting the assistance of an employment officer, we desire to call special attention to the evidence tendered at Christchurch of Dr. I). E. Hansen, Director of the Technical School at Christchurch. This gentleman deposed to highly successful work in the past in the direction of training partially disabled ex-soldiers, and also expressed on behalf of himself and the institution he represented his willingness