Rebuilding Britain: A Survey of Problems of Reconstruction After the World WarHopkinson, Alfred, Sir
History
Rebuilding Britain: A Survey of Problems of Reconstruction After the World War
Hopkinson, Alfred, Sir
Reconstruction (1914-1939) -- Great Britain
Of the questions affecting employment after the War, the position of
discharged soldiers and sailors naturally comes first. They may be
divided into two classes, namely, those who are in any way disabled, and
who are discharged during the War suffering from some kind of injury to
limb or to health, and, secondly, those who will be discharged when the
army is demobilised. For the first class, the honour of the nation
demands that proper and liberal provision should be made by pensions,
having regard to the nature and extent of the injury received. For the
totally disabled there must be an adequate subsistence; for the
partially disabled the object will be, in addition to the pension, to
find suitable employment and to train those who wish to take up some new
employment suited to the varied requirements of men who have been
disabled in different ways, and also in which higher remuneration may be
obtained by reason of a skill thus acquired, and the greater demand for
work of the class. It has been estimated that, apart from the provision
for officers, forty millions a year will be required for pensions for
soldiers and sailors. It is an expenditure which the country would least
think of grudging. The Ministry of Pensions, in co-operation with other
Departments concerned, has already taken in hand the question of dealing
with the disabled, not only as regards the regulation and payment of
pensions, but also as to qualifying those who are partially disabled to
take up suitable employment. The work thus begun will have to go on for
a considerable period after the close of the War. So far as inquiries
have at present been made, a large percentage of the partially disabled
men will be able to go back to the employment in which they were engaged
before the War; others will be able to find similar employment without
special training; many will be engaged in various simple light
occupations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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