REPATRIATION DEPARTMENT.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 30, 8 October 1920, Page 4

REPATRIATION DEPARTMENT.

PROGEESS RETDRN, There are at the present time 78,350 names on the register of the Repatriation Department. EMPLOYMENT : Since its inception, the Department has placed 20,018 discharged soldiers in suitable employment, and the number on the "Employment Wanted" register at the date of this report (20/9/20) is 186. The majority of these have registered for employment within the past few days, an'd it should be noted that at the present time not a single discharged soldier is drawing unemployment allowance, i.e., has not been on the books of the Department for more than one week. The total amount paid out to date as unemployment sustenance is £5,203, an average expenditure of Is 3d per demobilised soldier. TRAINING . Vocational training (with sustenance or subsidy) has been arranged for 5,089 men, and of these 2,126 have' fini&hed courses, leaving a balance of 2,963 still being trained in special soldier classes and technical schools or in the workshops and factories of private employers. An additional 1,145 studentg who are attending evening classes at universities or commercial colleges, or who are studying by c orresp ondcnc e with recogpised institutions have been assisted with grants towards fees and text books. Officers of the Department keep in touch with them. all and the latest reports show that the latter are making excellent progress. This section of the Department's operations is sh'owing a slight decrease month by month and during September 104 men commenced training and 194 trainees completed their courses and secured employment as "skilled" tradesmen. The total expenditure to date on training facilities, sustenance of trainees, etc;, is £200,667. AFTER-CARE . After-eare officers are doing good work by getting into personal. touch with numbers of seriously disabled men in an endeavour to further assist them by arrang. ing any necessary medical treatment, reconsideration of pension, placing in more suitable einployment, arranging training, .etc., and up-to-date the branch have dealt with the cases of 748 tubercular men, 238 amputees, and 245 men suffering from other serious disabilities. During the past month after-care officers have a-lso inspected 151 ex-soldiers whom the Department is training in various trades and has supervised the trainees' wages and general conditions. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE . A steady decrease is appar.ent during the past few months in the number of applications received for financial assistance, and a substantial decrease of expenditure in this direction is confidently anticipated. Up to the 20th September 4,375 loans for the purpose of acquiring or establishing businesses had been approved by the Ministerial Board, involving an expenditure of £992, 446. In addition to this 9,248 men have been granted loans for the purchase of household furniture, tools, etc., and a further 3,735 have received financial assistance in other direetions, the amount paid to or on behalf of soldiers under all headmgs totalling £1,472,512. REPAYMENTS . The amount collected by the Department up to 31/8/30 on account of loans granted was £274,002. Grantors are in the great majority of cases meeting their obligations with. layalty and promptitude and less than fiy.e per cent. of the 14,156 men who have been granted loans are in arrear with their payments. Instalments amounting to £33,813 were collected during the month of August, a rate of over £400,000 per annum. — Summary of Assistance Rendered.-~ Placed in Employment 20,018 Trained or in Training ... ... 6,234 Financially Assisted 17,358 Total ... ... ... ... ... 4^610