MILITARY SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2847, 11 August 1916, Page 7

MILITARY SERVICE

THE NEW ACT

EYES ON SHIRKING FAMILIES

Asked yestorday if lie could make a statement on the subject of the j-egu-lations under the Military Service Act, tlie issue of which is pending, the Prime Minister stated that the regulations: had not yet been settled. The Recruiting Board mqde the following statement yesterday: — "From tinie to time, since the initiation of tko new recruiting scheme, the attention of the Recruiting Board has been directed to, families'in different districts of tho Dominion with two "or more* single sons of military age, •not ,oiie of whom has joined tho Expeditionary Force. Under the voluntary principle of enlistment, of course, it was impossible for tho board to tako any action in these cases, as the decision, is loft entirely to tho individual' himself. But in responso to numerous requests that somo other steps should be taken to bring home to such men a duo sense of their obligation to tho State and to their comrades and fel-low-citizens who are already at the front, a. section has been inserted intho,Military Service Act which empowers the Minister of Defence, if ho is satisfied .with respect to . any family that ii consists of two or moro brothers or half r brothers who' belong to tho first division of the reserve and are not permanently unfit, to bring all or any of those brothers before a Military Service Board, to there show cause why they should not be called up for service in the Expeditionary Force. The Act, having now passed and beoomo statute law,' it is intended to bring this section into operation as., early as possible, aiid if any cases, as defined by it are still t,o be found When the Military Service Boards are set up, they will provide the first business for these boards to adjudicate upon."