GALLING STRATAGEMS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1977, 6 February 1914, Page 8

GALLING STRATAGEMS.

BY DRILL SHIRKERS. MEDICAL EXEMPTION DEVICES. (By Megtrapli.—Special Correspondent.) Chrlstchurch, February. 5. . , Judging from tho tono of tho remarks made by tho Territorial 'and Defenco Department's oificors to a representative ■of tho "Evening Nows" to-day, thcro are many little matters in connection with tho practical'working of tho defenco system that are apt to oxerciso a rather disheartening influence. There is j.ho (luestion of Exemptions from service, for instance. Probably the framcrs of the regulations on this subject did not anticipate tho ingenuity that would bo displayed by tho great army of shirkers in taking advantage of theso measures for their own questionable ends. ■ ■ It must be galling for an officer of a company to know that a man, exempted by virtue of a medical certificate from tho one and a half hours' drill per week, is gaily playing football or cricket or indulging in foot racing or boxing, pr somp other. strenuous amusement, snugly sheltered behind a medical certificate of unfitness for military service. This is what might almost be termed a common occurrence. Hints have been thrown out that tho: examining medical' officers are not nearly strict enough, but they have their hands tied also to a certain extent.

Those "Family Physician" Certificates. "To get an .exemption," remarked an officer of tlio Defenco liepartment, "a man can apply to a Magistrate, and, if he can produce reasonable proof that attendance at drill, etc., imposes unduo hardship on bim, exemption may be granted. Again, a man. can apply to his commanding officer for a medical examination, and he is then sent to one of the military ' medical officers attached to the. forces, who examines him, or is supposed to do so, and reports upon his fitness for service; . Generally, however, the shirker will go along to his family who, I think, is rather too easily inclined to givo the applic/jvjr a certificate, showing that he is suffering from some disease or other incapacitating him from drill, i Armed with this, the shirker 'bunks' his'parades.

How Military Doctors are Blocked. . "Sooner or later.' lift gets hauled up before tho Magistrate.' 1 He pleads illness, and flourishes his certificate, and -tho Magistrate asks the Defence Department whether' they will accept it. , If the Department say .'.No,'•, then- .tho Magistrate tells the man; to apply to the Defence Department, and. get an order on a military doctor for examination. The man does so, but,, when he goes up for examination, He takes good. care to tell the .military doctor all about tho . private doctor's certificate and opinion, and it is found that the hard-and-fast rules of .medical etiquette rarely, if ever, permit the military medical man— who, .after all, is a'volunteer in a way— to reverse the private ■ practitioner's certificate of unfitness. The consequence is that, in a very great number of cases, tho Defence Department, knowing tho futility of doing otherwise, accepts the certificate presented' in Court." '

Some of the Alleged Ailments. The reporter had a casual glance over a file of exemption'certificates, with a view to seeing the reasons given for allowing the men to go off duty. The certificate! w'fejoi .taken entirely-'at random', and' the ailment's mentioned were a's followsßronchitis, vajvular disease, neuritis, ' ;de,fepti.ve r vision, corns, and" flat foot;- constitutional .weakness,' and' over-growth, weak heart, loss of an eye, hernia, weak leg, abdominal inflammation, weak heart, ar-id'genoral debility, deafness and nasal obstruction, ' weak heart. The great majority of tho exemptions given above were permanent ones.

"We Are Dootors: Not Detectives." No doubt ' each of the diseases 'or ailments sounds to the layman as though it was a good enough reason for a permanent exemption, but, as a medical man with a: good' working knowledge of military matters remarked: ."We are medical men;-not detectives. "When a man comes; to me, and says positively that he has, a terrible pain in his back that nearly kills him every time he stoops, I cannot tell him that he* is a liar, however much I may disbelieve him." ' •

'[" ■ ■■< Pure Malingerers. . "In my own. mind, I'am certain, that by far. the greater number of men who, are sent along . for examination for exemption, are , malingerers pure :aijd •■■■ simple, .'and that there 'is nothing at all-the-matter' with them, tliat need prevent them attending the short compulsory'drills, but they may bring along a letter from their private doctor saying that they have this and that the matter, and it may be merely ray-opinion against his after all. I have had a man come along complaining of shortness„of breath witli a story ,of-past" attacks' of. asthma, and I have to take his, word' because, between 'the attacks, rt is not possible to say that he is not an asthmatical subject. Yet the same man, who almost had to bo assisted up the steps, could run gaily down- .the, road to * his mates when lie got 'his i certificate! Another shortwinded individual; .who got exempted on that; account, won some rather important Tunning races shortly after, and ..we' all know that plenty of men who are exempted from drill can earn their living at ■ laborious occupations without fading away. .

Better Stock Coming. "I 'Welieve," he continued, ''that when the Boy Scouts get among the present Territorials it will be the best thing for the defence scheme that could happen. It will not 1)0 long now beforo tho, 10,000 or 12,000 Boy Scouts in New Zealand will be of an age when ■they can be drafted into the regiments, and then every year there Bhould bo an additional 3000 or so coming of ago to swell the numbers. It will make a big improvement, in tlio general tone and .morale of the forces when they ■■ are leavened by the splendid, lads who form the scout orcanisation. These are not shiftless' hooligans like somo Territorials, but.trained boys and young men taught to respect others and' respect, themselves. Their ideals are high, and tlicir training should make them into admirablo soldiers possessed of initiative and restraint."