The Dominion THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1916. COMPULSORY SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2779, 25 May 1916, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1916. COMPULSORY SERVICE

Empire Day of this momentous year 1916 will be associated in the history of New Zealand with the introduction of the . Military Service Bill, the object of 'which is to enable this Dominion to do its duty to the Empire in the most effective way in the unparalleled crisis through which we are passing. The ; Prime Minister voiced the sentiments of the men and women of New Zealand when he remarked last night that this Empire Day could not have been celebrated in a more fitting manner, than by the introduction of legislation designed to make it absolutely certain that New Zealand will continuo to do its full share right to the end in the great struggle in which the Empire is engaged. Tho Military Service Bill deals with a supremely important problem in what from our brief examination of it appears to be a thorough and comprehensive manner. It presents a- well-considered and carcfully-workcd-out scheme. It gives the Government adequate power to organise the military resources of the Dominion. It does not summarily abolish the voluntary system of recruiting, -but it makes'provision for its abolition whenever the State authorities are of opinion that a change is neccssary. Judging by statements made by Ministers on various occasions, it is the intention of the Government tp continue the voluntary method of enlistment for the present. It is obvious that the machinery of tho National Scrvice system oannot be set going straight away. It will take some time to complete the preliminaries wjiich will have to be attended to before the main provisions of tho Bill can bo carried out. But the indefinite prolongation of the voluntary system, its inequalities, injustices, and insufficiencies, would bo opposed to public sentiment. Recruiting must be placed on a sounder and a more satisfactory basis. has come for giving tho forcc of law to tho moral obligation of every physically fit man of military age to fight foi\his country when the need arises.

The compulsory clauses of the Bill are based upon the State's fundamental right of self-preservation. Its preservation is for the !{ood of all its members, and the Government has an indisputable moral right to call upon every citizen to assist in the national defence. Provision is made for the formation of what'is termed "the Expeditionary Force Reserve," which will consist of every male natural-born British subject of military age (20 to 45) resident' in New Zealand, with the exception of members of the existing Expeditionary Porccs, or men ivho have been discharged after service at the front, the only other exceptions being long-sentence criminals and persons of unsound mind. This Reserve is divided into two divi ' sions, the first consisting (broadly speaking) of _ unmarried men and with no children. Th& second division will consist of all other reservists. Persons belonging to the sccond division will not bo liable to,service until after the first division 'has been called up. In. view of the admittedly defective condition of the National Register the problem of enrolment presents many difficulties, but the Bill lias been so framed that the shirkers will not find it an eaav. matter to slip.

through its Whenever tho Government Statistician is in doubt about a man's status under the Act it v/ijl he his duty to enrol that man, and if ho is in doubt as to whether any particular person should be included in tho first or in the second division, person has to bo put in the first division. Anyone who Hiay be dissatisfied with his enrolment will have the right to appeal to the Military Board, the establishment of which is provided for in the Bill. Persons who are not at present on the National Register, and who do not apply for enrolment when required to do so, will render themselves liable to fine or imprisonment. Such delinquents will also run the risk of being drafted direct into the Expeditionary Force instead of taking their place first in the Reserve. This is a very propei penalty for the deliberate and persistent shirker. Authority is given the police to question any man who may reasonably be supposed to be of military age as regards enrolment, and it will bo incumbent imon business men to find out whetner their employees are obeying the law, because the employer of any person of military age not registered may be heavily fined. These drastic measures for dealing with ablebodied men of military age who are not ashamed to shirk their duty should go a long way to remedy the defects _ in the . National Register. Tho shirker is not' going to bo allowed to shirk with impunity. As regards the transfer of reservists to the Expeditionary Force the Bill empowers • the authorities eitta'r to adopt the district quota system or to take the Register as a whole and select the requirecl number of >men by lot from it without reference to their place of abode. The quota method has manifest disadvantages, and would probably work out much more unfairly than the system of selection from the undivided register. It must prove a difficult task to decide the quotas for the different military districts until the fullest information'is available and has been closely analysed. Tho Government has wisely decided not to make any specific exemptions in the measure itself. There are uo exempted classes, trades, professions, or callings. _ Each case will have to be dealt .with by the Military Service Board on its merits— that is, assuming that tho regulations framed under the Act 'do not vary this. _ Those who feel aggrieved' or who object to being called up are given tho right to appeal on certain clearly specified grounds. A man might, 'for instance, contend that ho "was not liable to enrolment, or that he had been enrolled in the wrong division,_ or that owing to his domestic circumstances, or for, other reasons, his calling up would result in undue hardship. Another permissible ground of appeal would be that by reason of the objector's occupation/his calling up for military service, would be contrary to tho public interest. The Board will have to deal with the cases brought before it on broad, rational lines, Tho needs of the country's industries must be taken into account; but tha public interest must be the supremo consideration, and it is of the first and paramount importance in the public interest that Britain and her Allies shall' win this war. It has not been possible, ip the time at our disposal, to examine closely all the details of the Government's measured but, broadly speaking, it appears j likely to serve tho purpose aimed at in an effective manner, and with justico to all.