CO129-526-6 Schemes for employment of time-expired soldiers 4-2-1930 - 12-12-1930 — Page 20

Copy.

Report on the Employment of

Ex-Soldiers in the Colony of Hong Kong.

20

The following Committee was appointed by His Excellency the

Governor of Hong Kong to consider the question of the

employment of soldiers whose term of service expires while

abroad:-

Honourable Mr. E.D.C. Wolfe, C.M.G., Inspector

General of Police.

J. W. Franks, Esq., J.P., Superintendent of Prisons

Major B. C. Lake, D.S.O., 2nd Battalion The King's

Own Scottish Borderers.

1. The Committee fully realize the enormous

difficulty in placing ex-soldiers in employment at the

present time. Yearly about 7000 soldiers are dis charged

from the Army and thrown into an already over-crowded

labour market. These ex-soldiers start with an unfair

handicap in the competition to find work as they very seldom have a trade to go to, having enlisted at the age of 17 or 18 and been dis charged at the age of 24 or 25,

losing the 7 years during which they would ordinarily have

been gaining experience at a trade. The Government at

Home can do very little to compete with the problem and it

is largely left to the Regiments to find work for their men

on discharge.

2. As was pointed out by the Representative of the

King's Own Scottish Borderers the best chance of employment

for ex-soldiers is abroad, and his Regiment is trying to

arrange schemes for the settlement of their men on discharge

in the Colonies or anywhere abroad where there are vacancies.

29 King's Own Scottish Borderers have already found

employment

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