H.—lB

by the Government to the Hospital Boards in the four main centres in order to extend the accommodation and treatment facilities there. Similarly, extensions were made at Pukeora Sanatorium, Waipukurau, and at Cashmere Sanatorium, Christchurch. A Services Convalescent Hospital of 160 beds has been erected at Rotorua and administered by the Department of Health, while additional provision was made at Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer. (8) PENSIONS AND REHABILITATION ALLOWANCES The determination of applications for war disability and economic pensions is the responsibility of the War Pensions Board, and the pensions procedure is administered by the War Pensions Branch of the Social Security Department. (N.B. —Government has since the date of this report announced increases in pension rates.) Early in the current year the Government introduced a system of Rehabilitation Allowances. The Rehabilitation Allowance is particularly designed to provide for the ex-serviceman who is no longer in receipt of Service pay and who, while unfit to undertake normal employment or unable to be suitably placed, is not in receipt of pension or whose pension application has yet to be dealt with. Where an ex-serviceman is in receipt of a war pension at a rate less than the basic rate of £3 10s. plus dependants' allowances, the pension is augmented during the continued unemployment of the man so as to bring it up to the basic Rehabilitation Allowance rate, and this form of assistance continues during the currency of any allowance, with a maximum of thirteen weeks. The War Pensions Branch of the Social Security Department acts as agent for the Rehabilitation Board in paying Rehabilitation Allowances to ex-servicemen. The Rehabilitation Service undertakes to find suitable employment for allowancees as soon as they are fit for such. Rehabilitation Allowances are paid on the basis of £3 10s., plus additional sums for wife and dependent children, with a maximum of £6 weekly. The rate of a Rehabilitation Allowance abates in certain circumstances, but in general the only reduction effected is in respect of any war pension authorized or any earnings received. Table Y of the Appendix gives particulars of Rehabilitation Allowances disbursed by the War Pensions Branch on behalf of tho Rehabilitation Board up to tho 31st March, 1943 —i.e., covering a period of approximately four woeks' operations. (9) EMPLOYMENT i) Provision of Employment / It was obvious that the provision of suitable employment to ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen would be one of the most important aspects of rehabilitation work, and the Rehabilitation Board has already taken a number of steps in this field. At the same time, the magnitude of the efforts which will require to be made following on general demobilization is not being overlooked by tho Board. In Section 14 of this report the employment and other measures taken on behalf of seriously disabled ex-servicemen are described. The contents of this section refer for the most part to the steps taken on behalf of men fit for ordinary light employment. The scarcity of labour associated with war conditions has combined with the co-operation of employers to render the number of men seeking employment readily placeable. Occupational Re-establishment: Resumption of Apprenticeships.—There has been little difficulty in arranging the re-establishment of ex-servicemen in their prc-scrvice positions or apprenticeships. Industrial Mobilization Procedure in Relation to ex-Servicemen. —The Industrial Man-power Division of the National Service Department has co-operated fully with the Rehabilitation Division in the matter of the direction of ex-servicemen. The procedure that has been followed has, in general, been that District Man-power Officers have refrained from directing ex-servicemen to employment unless such employment has been recommended by the Rehabilitation Officers and it has been reasonable to apply direction. Generally, ex-servicemen have either been placed by the Rehabilitation Officer without direction or have been self-placed. In those cases where direction has been applied, the closest regard has been had to the health and interests of the ex-serviceman, and Man-power Officers have in general avoided direction of men who have returned from service overseas. In addition, applications from ex-servicemen to terminate employment in essential industry have been given the sympathetic consideration of Man-power Officers in co-operation with Rehabilitation Officers. Placements of ex-Servicemen. —The Rehabilitation Service as at 31st March, 1943, has been responsible for directly placing 951 of the returned men and 1,548 of the home-service men who were established at that date. In addition, the Service had found some thousands of positions for the same and other ex-servicemen, but since these had been relinquished for other positions, many of which were found by the men themselves, the record of individuals established by the Service understates very considerably the placement work performed by it on behalf of ex-servicemen. Table IV of the Appendix gives details of the industrial, &c., group disposal, whether-by placement,- self-placement, or establishment in own enterprise, of all men and women invalided out of the forces to date. Enrolments of ex-Servicemen. —In tho course of its contact with ex-servicemen, the Rehabilitation Service has enrolled all ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen desiring assistance to obtain employment, whether they have boon fit for work at the time or were still recuperating. The record of enrolments current with the Service is perhaps the best gauge of tho employment position of ex-servicemen as a whole, and judged by this standard it is very satisfactory (see categories 7 and 22 of Table II of the Appendix). The cases of enrolled recuperating ex-servicemen have been kept under close surveillance by Rehabilitation Officers, who have planned ahead for their placement. The Service lias not found it difficult to directly place, or assist the, self-placement of, recuperating personnel as recovery has rendered them employable. Almost all recuperating and enrolled fit servicemen are in receipt of war pensions or Rehabilitation Allowance. 2—H. 18

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