EXEMPTIONS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2893, 4 October 1916, Page 6

EXEMPTIONS

• A tJNDER MILITARY SERVICE ~~ ' . ACT WORK OF THE APPEAL BOARDS % iv ■ : The operation \of.the compulsory plaiises of the .Military ..Service Act ■will begin during the next week or • /two, When notices are served on cer- - 'Jain members of the First Division of ! the Expeditionary Force Reserve under . clause 85, which deals with the "shirking families." It may be taken for \ ' granted that many of tlio men who receive these notices will wish to claim exemption for one reason' or another, .Sad it will be tho'duty of the recentlyconstituted; Military Service Boards to he&r these claims and adjndicato upon .them. Steps have been takon already, to lav down- lines of policy for tho - .hoards, in order that a reasonable uniformity of praotice may be secured in ; Wealing with the appeals., ' Tho grounds of appeal allowed any inan who Is summoned for service as a .conscript are wide.. The man may object to being taken into camp or apply for . exemption on any of tho following ■ pleas:— I £L) That whan called up he was not sv member of the Reserve. ~ (2) That when called up lie was a .taember of a division or class that had Hot been summoned for* service, i (3) That by reason of his occupation v :liis calling up is contrary to the publio interest. ... (4) That by reason of his domostio , 7 ciroumstances or for any other reason . .jfiis calling up for military service will !.-. he a.cause of.undue, hardship to himi., ' self or others. . . ' ' . (5) That he was on.August*.4, 1914, since continuously . been a bomber of a religious body tlio tenets and doctrines of which declare the.bear- - ■ ' ing; of arms and the performance of v'" a ?3[ military service to bo contrary'to v divine revelation, and also that accordto his qwn conscientious religious I' ' .belief the bearing .of ams and the per-" , "formance of any military service is unlawful by reason "of being contrary to divine revelation. : ■ , . ' , - Tho Act further provides that any person who may bo exempted on the f rounds mentioned in paragraph 5 shall e liable to perform non-military work .. Jn New Zealand at the, direction >of the \ ..'Government. • • ■> ~ V Paragaphs 1 and 2 deal with mat- . ■ tea 'of fact, and tho military boards •v v are not likely to have any difficulty in ...■ '.'settling claims made in those respects, v' ••.. But .the other paragraphs present diffi'cult?es.; .plaims: for' exemption under ■' ; ' .vJWagraph 3 wijl be made by men .engagod > m agricultural- and pastoral pursuits, who will urge tliat their enlistment .would'be, "contrary i.'te .the publio interest," since it would ; ; tend to reduce production. Thoy will' • do. o.bld to point, to tho ssrious 6horfc- ■ age of cbmpeterit farm workers and to ' , the. necessity for maintaining the. Dominion's export trade. Paragraphs 3" . and 4 may both be invoked, by employ- ' ers' of labour, who may argue that if ... they' go into ■ camp their Jjusinessos must close down and their hands be ' i Jbrown out of work. Many claims of this nature liave'come before the Ap- • peal Boards_ in'the United Kingdom, ■' and oxemption.;!haß l been granted in a largo number of cases, eißier permanently or for a limited period. Paragraph 4 will cover also tbo case of .tho man-who .has dependants with ..special claims upon hijp. He may i . havo a very ( large family, .of young ; ■ .. . children, a sick wife, or a widowed ( • mother and younger brothers and sis- • . tors to support. A member of the First Division may be-worso off .than ' married man in regard to dependants, ' . since ho cannot count upon separation' ' . ; allowance ejscept in .the case of a 'ii i mother! t ' • v ■ ■ Tho genera! rules laid down for the tl'-V ■" :Euidance of the boards will be few in ;'number,' and_will -bo designed rather - • - 'to securo uniformity :in dealing with broadi issues than to provide guidaoci? Si ' T;' ' in solving the various knotty problems -. • " that are sure to arise. The boards v.: ' .will bo warned by the experience of , the- United Kingdom, whero - the ,". tendency in the early stages of the ffif-t}-,:. compulsory, systom .was to make ex- '■ \ emption far too easy. Just how the . religious objector will _be treated remains to ho seen, but it may be noted ■'■ i'i' that the provision made by Parliament does not cover tlio more "conscientious • ■ ■ objector." The - objection must be - based oil roligious belief if it is to be ;, K / . .valid in the eyes of tho Military Service Boards.