Fine Record of Fiji

Rehabilitation Board

THE annual report of the work of the Fiji Rehabilitation Office was issued in February by the Rehabilitation Officer (Mr. C. H. Came) and shows that excellent progress is being made with the reinstatement of Fiji ex-Servicemen in civil life.

Nearly 9,000 men—the majority of them Fijians—were eligible for assistance under the provisions of the Rehabilitation Ord inance and most of these were provided for in 1946 when the Board authorised assistance to 6,795 men. Many were Fijians returning to communal life and these were issued with a free kit of tools consisting of a spade, fork, axe, cane knife and file.

Other ex-Servicemen were assisted with educational grants, building loans, voca tional training allowances and loans for starting businesses on their own account.

Free technical classes were maintained in Suva throughout the year for instruc tion in carpentry, building, plumbing, en gineering and electrical wiring. Overseas training in various branches of engineer ing were given to two men in Australia and three in New Zealand. Nine went to the local teacher’s training school at Uavuilevu and four attend universities in New Zealand. Loans were given to six dairy farmers and four coconut planters and business grants were made to 28 men.

Total expenditure for the year amounted to £55,647; of this amount, £15,651 was for grants and non-recoverable expen diture and £39,995 was for loans.

Mr. I. E. MacKinnon, post-war recon struction officer in Cairns, Queensland, and formerly an accountant with a Fiji mining company, is the endorsed Country Party candidate for Cairns at the forth coming Queensland State elections. He is 28, and was born in New Zealand.

During the war he served with the RAAF, and at one time was on General Mac- Arthur’s staff.