DECLINE IN RATE OF ARMY DISCHARGES

For the last three weeks the Army has not been able to keep up its quota of personnel qualified for dis charge, and the total pass ing through Redbank last week showed a further daily decline.

In the previous week the discharges from all services totalled 1,938, and last week this figure dropped to 1920.

Col. McLean, officer in charge of demobilisation at Redbank, refused to confirm the suggestion that the decline was due to an instruction that demobilisation be slowed up temporarily because Queensland normally experienced heavy seasonal unemployment in the period -mid-December to May.

The decline, he said, was due to the fact that the Army had no pool at Moorooka upon which to draw for men available for discharge. The Navy and Air Force had been able to keep up their quotas, but as far as the Army was concerned the arrival of a few ships from the islands at the week-end might alter the whole situation.

Col McLean said that he had been faking everybody that could possibly be put through for discharge, and this would have no effect on the seasonal unemployment situation, which was well known to the Manpower authorities.

“Obviously the present low rate of discharge can’t keep going,” added Col McLean. Last week’s discharges, up to Friday, included 1,770 males and 150 females, the men having 167 points. The decline in the discharge rate was reflected in the applications for training to the Ministry of Post-War Reconstruction.

Last week 514 applications were received, which is 144 fewer than the previous week’s total.

Applications for training now total 13,700, of whom 3,326 have been granted full-time training, 4,603 part-time and 4,100 correspondence courses. A total of 767 applications hove been rejected, while 805 are still under consideration and 329 have been withdrawn.

From The Telegraph, Monday 11 February 1946, page 3.

1941 Australian Made Tanks Slq 48752

Image: Australian-made tanks driving to military camps in Brisbane, 1941, SLQ 48752. State Library of Queensland