MILITARY SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2880, 19 September 1916, Page 6

MILITARY SERVICE

REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT

THE NEW GROUPS

Regulations under the Military Service Act were issued iii a Gazette Extraordinary last night. They provide for tho attestation of voluntary recruits at tho time of registration, and show the form of attestation for men who may bo called up under tile comiiulsory clauses of the Act. The regulations also define the new groups and areas, wit-bin.- the four military districts. ' Every voluntary recruit is to be attested at the time of registration in the presence of an authorised attesting officer. Men who are called up for service compulsorily under the Act aro to bo attested, before entering camp, and failure to appear before the attesting officer, and to answer all questions!, will bo an act of disobedience for which the offender may be punished under the Army Act. A compulsory recruit may, if he chooses, be attested in the same form as if ho had volunteered for service; otherwise he will ho attested in tlio special form provided. It is provided, that a voluntary recruit may indicate at the time of enlistment the reinforcement draft wlu'ch he wishes to join. But if he is a Reservist belonging to the First Division the will affect his obligation to immediate service in the event of his'being selected under tho Act as a member of a draft. The regulation added that effect will he given to tho volunteer's choice "so far as tho Commandant thinks consistent with the public interest." Tlio new groups, into which the fom military districts arc divided, follow tho county boundaries, with the object of simplifying the preparation of tho rolls under the Military Servico Act. The groups arc 21 in number. Hie groups within the Wellington Mil'tan District a,re as follow:— No. 5 (Wellington) Group, comprising the countios of Hutt and Mak'ara. No. 6 (Manawatu) Group, comprising tlio counties of Horowhenua, Manawatni, Kairanga.. Oroua, Pohangina, Kiwitea, and Rangitikei. No. 7 (Hawke's ay) Group, comprising tho counties of Hawke's Bay, Waipawa, Waipnkurau, and Patangata. No. IS (Wairarapa) Group, comnris. ing tho counties of Featherston, Wairarapa South, Masterton, Castlepoint, Mauricoville, Eketaliuna, Pahiatua, Akitio, Wobor, Woodville, and Danno virke. No. 19 (Poverty Bay) Group, comprising the counties* of Wairoa, Cook, Waikohu, and Waiapu. No. 8 (Taranaki) Group, comprising the counties of Patea, Hawera, Eltham, Stratford, Waimato West-, Egmont, Taranaki, Clifton, and Whangamomona. No. 20 (Wanganui) Group, comprising tlio counties of Wanganui, Waitotara, Waimarino, Kaitieke, and Oliura. Each group includes all the cities, boroughs, and town districts which aro included within tho exterior boundaries of any county comprised in tho group. Provision is made in the regulations for boroughs and town districts which may lie across county boundaries.