RESERVISTS MUST ENROL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2894, 5 October 1916, Page 6

RESERVISTS MUST ENROL

A LAST WARNING PENALTIES FOR MEN WHO EVADE "The work of preparing registers of the men of tho Firsts and Second Divisions of tho Expeditionary Force Reserve under! tho Military" Service Act is now proceeding apace," said the chairman of the Recruiting Board (Hon. J- Allen)-yesterday. "It is just possible that the quotas of tho new group recruiting districts for tho Twentythird Reinforcement (tho November draft) will be based on the men available in the First Division of tho Re'serve, but in any caso the machinery for taking a ballot should voluntary recruiting not produce the men required will then be in full working order. "The Recruiting Board is very satisfied with tho manner in which men of military ago havo responded to tho proclamation' and enrolled, in the Reserve. But while thifi response has been quite up to expectations, •'I havo reason to believe that a number of Reservists have not enrolled, and I desiro to sound a final note.of warning. Every man of military ago who applied for his certificate of enrolment should now have received a card of acknowledgment. _ If any man has not got this card, it must be because either his application or the acknowledgment card has gone astray in transit. , His proper course is to at onco forward another amplication to - tho Government Statistician,/because it" is not intended to await tho issue of certificates of'enrolment before taking action in tho case of .nion who there is reason to helievo are evading their legal obligations. "In view of the/probable eafly application of the ballot, it would be manifestly unjust ,to permit any man, by reason of the-fact that he has not onrolled, to-increase the chances of citizens who have loyally done their duty, and therefore it- is intended to round up all suspects and ask them to pro,duco an/acknowledgment'card •that they have applied for a certificate of enrolment. I wish to make it clear that it is not proposed to immediately tako advantage of the general provisions of Section 44, which empowers a constable to question any man who may reasonably be supposed to be of military age. Present action is Jo bo restricted to specific cases where the Government Statistician or tho police has reason to believe that men, have not registered. On conviction all such men will he called up'for sendee with the Expeditionary Forco under Section 84 of the Act." .- , Tho Military Service Act provides 'that any man of military age who is discovered to have evaded, registration as a member of the Expeditionary Force Reserve may bo enlisted compulsorily and taken* into camp without ballot.' Civil penalties, also, are provided by the Act, so that tho defaulter who is pot fitj for service will not escape punishment.