MILITARY SERVICE BILL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2783, 30 May 1916, Page 6

MILITARY SERVICE BILL

ITS CHANCES IN THE HOUSE

QUESTION OF EXEMPTIONS

iv is expected that the Military Service Hill will come on tor second reading in The House to-day or to-morrow. Tne Bill will be in charge of the Defence Minister (the Hon J. Allen). It is considered certain that the Bill will never be ill any danger at any stage. It J s easy to_salect, say, iour or five members who wiii oppose tne Bill, who would oppose any such measure, it is possible ro select from six to twelve other members wlfose attitude towards it will be dubious; and when the Bill is before the House these will be reinforced by an inconsiderable section of. fault-fiuuers who may adopt any of several'lines of attack. These may . question the necessity for the Bill, and advocate the granting of more liberal separation allowances for the families of married men. Indeed,- this latter question regarding allowances is certain to be raised by many who are really anxious to sec the Bill go through. Questions are sure to be askeu also about exemptions. The Bill as it stands leaves exemptions to be dealt with, entirely by the tribunal- or tribunals to be set up, and the administration of the whole exemptions section of the "Act will be lelt to the Minister of Munitions (the Hon. A. M. Myers). These boards have it in their power t-o grant to certain men or classes of men total exemption, or exemption for a period only. Apparently, however, the Government does not at present contemplate the total exemption of any industry. Not even railway men are released from obligation. The taking of all the railwaynien who will be in the first division of the Expeditionary i'orce Heserve—the single men—would, it is understood, necessitate a curtailment ■of train services and railway facilities generally, but it is not impossible that this is one of the inconveniences the peo■ii ° home will have to put up with as best they may. In some other Departments of the Public Service organisation is :in hand or completed to provide tor ffie release of large numbers of men ; One of the biggest services is that of tne Post Office, and a good number of men may go from the Postal and Telegraphic _branches. In England there are women letter-carriers, and places which before the war had as many as six deliveries of letters in a day now have only one. Here in "Wellington there is already a class of girls learning to operate a telegraph instrument The House will . lva nt.know about -exemptions within, limits for men in our great producing industries. However, the Bill defines pretty clearly the opinion of the Government on all these questions—that the first and greatest need of New Zealand and the' nation is fighting men. 0