NATIONAL REGISTER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2606, 30 October 1915, Page 6

NATIONAL REGISTER

THE "IF REQUIRED:: PROVISO . NO COMPULSION IN THE ACT

Now inquiries are being tnado daily about the national register, and how men in certain circumstances shall lill in tho answers to ccrtain questions. They are afraid lest tho answers may embarrass them in tho future. A correspondent, "Old Volunteer," who finds himself in a quandary as to how he ought to answer certain of the questions, writes as follows: — "As there are some doubts concerning No. 8 (b) (ii) question, reading as follows: 'Are you (being a single man with dependants, or a married man or a widower with dependents), -willing to become a member of an expeditionary force, if required?' I would like to ask what answer a man with dependents should give to the above question if ho is only willing to enlist after the resources of men without dependents

have been used up, as No. 2 scction says, 'Any person who wilfully makes, any false statements with, respect to any -such particulars, is liable to a fine of £100 or imprisonment for 6 months,'

If a man with dependents answered 'Yes,' and a man without dependents answered 'No,' and the Government required more men, could they ask tho mail with dependents to enlist? If ho refused while men without dependents had not enlisted, would he bo liable to tho penalty stated in No. 2 section?" Replying to these questions yesterday, tho Government Statistician said that it did not seem to bo well enough understood that there was no clause, in the Registration Act which empowered the Government to require a man to fulfil a promise made. If a man with dependents answered that he was willing to enlist "if required," the .Govern-, rnent have no compulsory, power over him under any circumstances. His reply ivas asked for merely as an indication of his attitude towards enlistment in the Exncditionary Force. He thought people wore reading conscription into the Act. . Before the Government could compel men to enlist they: must have legislative authority, and if' they had legislative authority it would not make the slightest difference to tho order in which men were called up whether they wore willing or unwilling to go. Conscription would bo universal in apnlication, and under it men would becallod up' without any regard to tho manner in which they had answered tho register questions. The Prime Minister, referring to the point raised about tho liability of a man

to a penalty for making a. promise which he subsequently refused to fulfil, said that nobody who filled in tho schedule truthfully to the best of his ability could possibly bo liable to a penalty. Tho register was being taken to supply tho Government with information as

to the number of men who might be available,in case of necessity. This was very valuable information, which ought to bo in the possession of every Government in every part of tho British Dominions. The writer of tho letter should answer "Yes" to the question about which ho seemed- to have difficulty, and in the space below lo could give as his reasons for not enlisting tho fact that the necessity of providing for his wife and children make- it difficult for him to enlist for the present. Referring to the register generally, Mr. Massey said that his information was that there were manv thousands of young men who, when filling in their cai'ds, were going to signify their willingness to enlist. Ho did not get this information from the Department, because in his opinion this would not be proper. Ho was of this opinion because of 'fetters he had b.td, and interviews ho had had on the subject. Ho was satisfied tho register was going to have a good effect. .