GAZETTE CORRECTIONS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16142, 21 February 1918, Page 7

GAZETTE CORRECTIONS.

WHY YOUTHS OF NINETEEN

ARE INCLUDED

The "Gazetto" issued on Tuesday calling up accretions to the First Division and to Class A of the Second Division of tho Expeditionary Force Reserve contained the names of 1200 men in the first category—an unusually largo number, tho ordinary monthly quota of men coming of military age in Now Zealand being about 700. Tht> reason is explained by the Government Statistician (Mr Malcolm Fraser), who states that of the 1200 First Division accretions whose names appear in the "Gazette" quite a number in their registration cards gave the date of their birth as "1898." This not being the date but tho year of birth Government Statistician, under Subsection 6, Section 6, of the Military. Service Act, 1916, has the right to tssume that such men attained the ige of 20 at the beginning of 1918, lud he included their names in the "Gazette" accordingly. Sub-section 6 of Section 6 of the Military Servico Act states: "If the Government Statistician is in doubt as to whether any man is a reservist or not, he shall enrol that man in tho Reserve; and if he is in doubt as to whether any man belongs to the Fi,rst Division or to the .Second...Division jot. the Reserve, Le shall enrol that man in the First Division." The reservists in ouestion should thus have given the actual month and date of their birth; if they had. done so they would not have been called up until they attained the «ge of 20.

There need not, however, be r>ny occasion for concern over the position that has been created (says '.he "Post")- The Government Statistician states that men who have not attained the age of 20 and have been called up hate the right of appeal, and on production of their birth certificates before a Military Service Board will have their appeals automatically allowed. On the other hand, those who do, not wish to appeal and at the same time do not wish to go into camp until they attain the age of 20 years may, on responding for medical examination, produce their birth certificates and automatically obtain leave to go into camp with the first draft after the date on which thev become 20. *