Alaya Service
p. 121 · Read in the full issue
[?]habilitation Question.
[?]Lans For Fijians
[?]Ome After
Alaya Service
LANS for rehabilitating Fijian ex-servicemen from Malaya, prepared by a Suva committee uprising Mr. H. M. Scott (chair n), Mr. A. D. Leys, Ratu Edward Kobau, Mr. R. M. Major, Ratu ce Vuidreketi and the Rehabili i Officer, were approved by the fislative Council in April.
'he proposals are that every fully discharged serviceman, re dless of his future plans, shall given a set of agricultural hand Is, a mosquito net, blanket, two rs of shorts, two shirts and a of eating utensils, len who return to their villages I be exempted from communal ies for six months, and the Re
hlitation Board may provide
m with such implements as a ugh or with fishing gear or im nents of trade, and may provide ds for the repair or replacement fishing-boats. ervicemen who do not return to ir villages will be exempt in the r of discharge from the payment commutation rates (the tax im ed on all Fijian men who live iy from their villages and are s unable to perform communal ies), and the Rehabilitation ird will help them to find em yment. he board may arrange voca lal training in trades or farm er may provide bursaries to lifted men for higher education, may arrange for selected appli es to be given agricultural ining and helped to settle on land.
Lehabilitation has been a some it thorny subject ever since the for Fijian soldiers to fight Malaya was made in October, I. 1953 a Suva complaint, widely publicised in New Zealand, affirmed that, two years after decision to send Fijians to laya had been made, there was 1 no official statement of any ef tual scheme of rehabilitation. .t that time men discharged on lical or other grounds before ipleting their three-year Army n were permitted to retain two rs of shorts, two shirts, two r els, a pair of boots and a kit- Men who completed the ee-year Army term were to re /e in addition two civilian shirts 1 two sulus. This was described h fairly obvious justification as e extremity of parsimony.” he new proposals go further, ■ the critics are likely to find m unconstructively vague at im tant points.