SHIRKING FAMILIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2893, 4 October 1916, Page 4

SHIRKING FAMILIES

AN OFFICIAL WARNING

CLAUSE 35;T9 OPERATE AT, ' ONCE. An official notice issued'by the Re-' cruiting Board yesterday draws attention to Clause 35' of tho Military Service Act, under which conscription may be applied to,families containing, two or more sons who are members of the First Division of the Expeditionary, Force Reservo and have not volunteered for servicc; Tho men concerned are warned by the chairman of the board (tho Hon. J. Allen) that they have little time loft them to enlist voluntarily, if they wish to avoid being taken into tho Forces compulsorily. "For some time-past," says the notice, _ "Defence officers, as well as recruiting committees throughout., tho Dominion, have been compiling lists of families that come within tho. provl'-' sions of Section 35 of tho Military Service Act. This is the section that em'powers the Minister of Defence, if ho is satisfied with respect 'to any t family that it consists of or includes two or moro brothers who' belong to the First Division, of the Reserve arid are not permanently medically unfit, To call on any or all of these, brothers to show cause before a Military Service Board why they, should not be called up for service ill the Expeditionary Force. "A total of between one and. two thousand names have been submitted to Deforce Headquarters as coming ( within ■tJiis category: Steps are. now. being.taken to verify tho particulars, with respect to cach of these meh ioi; order to ensure that tho notice to appear before a Military Service Board ■ shall only lp served on those to whom Section 35 does apply. It is. expected, that the progress of these inquiries , will be, sufficiently advanced to enable the first batch of notices to be sent out late this week, and they will then, be dispatched unless in the meantime the men concerned • have by voluntary enlistment removed [themselves from . the operation, of Section 35. "It is . intended to send these notices out through tho Group Commanders who' have been instructed to' cancel tho notices iu all cases where • ■ the men named therein "have since come forward and voluntarily enlisted. Although, the Act empowers the Minister of Defence to call on "any or all of theso .brothers,' it. is .intended iff .serve a notice on. ; every brother in the First Division, no matter ~hnw many may be'affected/in jrfamijyrand leave--the Military Service Board to decide as to how many brothers .' from 1 one - - familv shall serve. . , . "The','Recruiting Board therefore* •• wishes to clear!v warn nil brothers >ho. belong to the First Division- of the Reserre "that this is their last chance to • voluntarily enlist. After this week they will be soldiers of the Expeditionary Force unless they ran show cause ttf a Military Service Board why they, should not be called 'up for service. • f • ■ , "J. ALT/RN,' "Chairman of Recruiting Board.'* '-v ■