ENROL TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2866, 2 September 1916, Page 10

ENROL TO-DAY

9 EVERY MAN'S DUTY

MILITARY SERVICE ACT IN OPERATION

PROCLAMATION OF THE RESERVE

A start was made yesterday with the enrolment of the Expeditionary Force Reserve, under the Military Service Act. The proclamation directing the enrolment of the first division, consisting of unmarried men and certain others, was signed by His Excellency tho Governor yesterda.v morning, and was promptly published in a Gazette Extraordinary. The Postal Department bad really anticipated the event, since leaflets explaining the obligations imposed upon men of military age had been delivered friim door to door by the letter-carriers at- an earlier hour. The proclamation directing the enrolment of the second division, consisting of the married men, will be issued today.

The Recruiting. Board is not leaving any man in New Zealand an excuse for pleading, ignorance of the provisions ol the Military Service Act. Tho poster explaining all altout the enrolment of the reserve, and setting forth just what each man must do, made its appearance in every part of the country yesterday, and must be familiar already to the great majority of the persons concerned. No fewer than 10,000 copies of tho large poster have been circulated throughout New -Zealand for display wherever men . do' congregate-, and 200,000 copies of the leaflet, a smaller reproduction pf the poster, have been printed. Of these 150,000 copies arc being distributed through the post office, and other agencies, while 50.000 copies will bo available for display in shop windows and other vantage points. No refuse to display a poster on his premises without becoming liable to penalties under tho War' Regulations.

Members of the Reserve. Tho leaflets, already in the hands of most men, explain tho position. Every mail of mdita-ry ago (over 20 years and under 40-years) is a member of the Expeditionary Force Reserve, unless he lias alreadv served in the military forces out-side New Zealand during tho present war, or is now a member of tho Forces. Men discharged at their own request from the Sarnoan Force' are included in tlio Reserve. Men of unsound mind and men undergoing terms of imprisonment of one year and upwards arc exempted. Tho' duty of securing his own enrolment is imposed upon every Reservist, and lie neglects this duty at his own risk. The ])enalties provided under'the Act are se-. vere, and after a certain date the police will havo power to demand from any man the production of a certificate of- enrolment. A fit man who has evaded onrolmcnt-, and is detected, may bo also drafted into the Forces forthwith without ballot, j Tho classification of tiie members of the Reservo 'is a matter for the .decision of tjic authorities, and need not concern, the individual at the time of enrolment. The Government Statistician and his assistants will decide to which division of the Reservo each man should be attached. Opportunity will be given for appeal by men who feel thoihsclvcs_ aggrieved. But the first essential in any caso is enrolment, and a period of fourteen days is allowed tho members of each division to perform their duty. Each member of the Reservo has to place himself in possession of a certificate of onrolmcnt, which will be provided by tho authorities when the , necessany steps have been taken by the man himsolf. Failure to secure a certificate will expose a man to all the penalties attaching to the offence of. defaulting under tho Military Service Act. °

Penalties Provided. llici Reserve is the body from which men will bo draivn by ballot, if necessary, to serve in tho Expeditionary Forces. Tho details of the classification and tho method of ballot have not yet beon announced, but they are not of immediate concern. Tho Government's .first task is to get.a complete roll of the men of military age, and every man must enrol. Provision every man in the Act for men who have religious objections to service, but tlieso men must enrol before they can bo in a position 'to <state their objections. The penalties for failuro are severe, and thev do not end with the defaulter himself. A man convicted of failure to enrol is liable to a fino not ' exceeding £50, or to imprisonment for a/term not 1 exceeding three months. Ho may be drafted into camp without ballot. A reservist failing to notify a chango of address, or failing-to answer questions put by the police, may be. fined. A person employing an. nnem-olled reservist may be fined. -

Personal Responsibility. The authorities arc' particularly anxious to have every man of military age understand the extent of his personal responsibility. It is 110bod.v's duty but his own to see that lie is . enrolled. Many thousands of men are alreadv enrolled. because wo National Register is being used, but if in error a man's name has been omitted from the'- register, that will not releaso him from liability for the penalties, should lie not take steps to ensure that he is enrolled iu the Reserve. - • These are the tilings that every man of.military ago should see to:— (1) Ho must apply at any post oflico for ah application form for , an enrolment certificate. (2) This form lie must fill in and .post. (It is already stamped, and addressed to the Government Statistician.) (3) Ho will then have to wait until ho receives advice from the Government Statistician. If ho is already registered the advice will be that a certificate of enrolment awaits him at tho post office named in his application, and he must call and receive this certificate in person, and sign a reccipt for it. If ho is not- registered the advice will inform him of this, and accompanying it will be a form of enrolment. This he must fill in and post, and then he will gtt liis certificate ii\ the way above set /forth. , (All these things he must do before September 16.) (4) If a man changes his plactv of residence after enrolment he must notify the Government Statistician of the fact, and of his new address, within 14 days. An obligation is also laid upon all men attaining military ago after September 16, and upon all men arriving in the •' Dominion after that date, to enrol. The period allowed to such men in which to enrol is 14 days.

■RUSH FOR FORMS AT CHRISTCHURCH. Bj Telegraph—Press Association. Gliristchurch, September 1. There was a big rush of applicants at the Post Office at Chrislnhurch today in connection with enrolment in tho Expeditionary Force Reserve, and officials, particularly at fho Chief Post Office wore kept exceedingly busy. B.v far tho greatest request Vas for application forms for a certificate of enrolment, though a good number of notification of change of addfesslorms wore also applied for.