H—lB

(6) Agency Organizations 23. Agency Departments and organizations have also had staffing difficulties which have had some influence on the handling of ex-servicemen's business. These are no doubt covered in their own annual reports. SECTION HI.—DEMOBILIZATION 24. The progress of demobilization of 31st March, 1948, is shown in Table IV of the Appendix. Of the total of 202,265 ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen demobilized at 31st March, 1948, 139,328 served overseas, whilst 62,937 served in New Zealand only. SECTION IV.—EMPLOYMENT (i) General 25. The demand for labour in industry continues to render the problem of placing ex-servicemen in employment a very minor one. The Labour and Employment Department continues to act as agent of the Board in this respect, and at the 31st March, 1948, there were no fit men and only 1 partly fit ex-serviceman registered with the Department as seeking employment out of a total of 194,121 demobilized male personnel.

(ii) Rehabilitation Allowances and Hardship Grants 26. The demand for labour has resulted also in the amounts paid under these headings being comparatively small. The table below indicates the relative figures for the past three years :

SECTION V.—TRADE TRAINING (i) General 27. The volume of work in connection with trade training has been maintained, throughout the year at a high level. A large number of ex-servicemen completed their training in the course of the year and are now in the ranks of skilled tradesmen, while a large number of new applications for training assistance continue to be received, despite the fact that the majority of ex-servicemen have now established themselves permanently in some form of civilian occupation. 28. Details of assistance granted under schemes " A," " B," and " C " are set out in Table VI of the Appendix. 29. Arrangements were made for all trainees under the Rehabilitation Board's training schemes to receive the benefit of the general wage increase from the Ist October, 1947, following the pronouncement of the Court of Arbitration. (ii) " A " Class Training (at Board's Training Centres) (a) General 30. There has been a further advance during the year in the number of ex-servicemen taking advantage of the Board's scheme for training in its own " A " Class centres —i.e., full-time intensive training under the Board's own instructors. From a total of 2,575

6

Years ended 31st March, 1946. 1947. 1948. Rehabilitation allowances Grants in cases of genuine hardship £ 65,130 7,679 £ 12,361 8,939 £ 192 6,594