PARADE SHIRKERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1746, 10 May 1913, Page 5

PARADE SHIRKERS.

' HOW MEN EVADE THE LAW. As everybody knows, it is one thing to 'jjass a law and quite another thing to enforce it. Theoretically, tho Defenco Act is universal in its application; in practice, it has been found that numbers of . young men eseapo the obligations imposed on. them by its provisions. Literally, they snap their"finders at it. The whole trouiblo arises from the simple trick adopted by ■ Private BUI Shirker of changing his private address and purposely omitting to acquaint the military authorities of tho fact. .An area officer with whom a ropwsentativo of The Dominion discussed tho problem yesterday put it this way: ' A man comes in, hands over his riilo and equipment, and says ho is going to Auckland, and that his address in that city is 6o<Lnd-so. We write up to tho area group officar in Auckland to look the man up and transfer him. By and by they send / down a report that this man cannot bo found. He has vanished, so to speak. The police can't trace him. He may bo here all the time. . He is liable to a fine for failing to leave his correct address, but youi can't summons a man that cant bo tfound. Now and then wa catch <i raan , who has been given away by some of the others, who have a very natural objection to these men shirking their fair share. But as to thoso who escape us, what can wo do? Wo can't find them, and the police can't find them." The speaker went on to suggest that ■ possibly some result would be secured by appointment of inspectors, clothed with the authority of special constables, who could devote their .whole time to the tracking, down of the shirkers. "This is a matter in which tho employers could .help us a great deal by insisting upon those of their employses who aro of tho training age attending the parades. They could very easily mako it a condition of employment and keep in touch with the area office to see that the parades were duly attended."