CONSCRIPTION
CAUSES OF DELAY
PREPARATIONS FOR THE FIRST BALLOT
The delay that has taken place in the application of tho compulsory clauses of tho Military Scrvico Act has been attributed in somo quarters to a desiro on tho part of tho Government to ascertain the result of the referendum of the conscription issuo in Australia. The-Minister of Defcnco is reported to have referred to this subject in Duncdin ' yesterday, when ho said that tho delay had not. been doliberate, and that "if representative local, bodies desiro to becomo apprised of the real difficulties in preparing for conscription, they only need appoint somo one to tako'part in the work."
A Dominion reporter who mado somo inquiries on this point at Defenco Headquarters was assured that thero bad been no unnecessary delay. The Military Service Act did not como into operation, until tho beginning of August last, and steps had to be taken then to dofino new recruiting districts, prepare rolls, and dovise machinery for the administration of tho Act. The onrolment of the Expeditionary Forco IJoservo was proclaimed: on September 1, and a fortnight was allowed the meal of military age to take the steps required of them to see that their names were properly on the roll. Sinco the period expired, tho Government Statistician and a large staff _ havo been engaged in tho preparation of the roll, and tho completion of certir ficates of enrolment, which are to bo issued to all members' of the Reserve. The roll is not yet complete, and until it is ready for uso tho Defouco Department cannot enlist any men compulsorily. Obviously it would be very unfair to .select men for compulsory service from an incomplete roll. _ When compulsion was applied in tho United Kingdom, the men were called up in classes. All ths -unmarried men between certain ages formed a class, for example, and-a complete roll was not essential. The mobilisation of the class was proclaimed, and after tho main body of the men had come forward it was comparatively easy to collect tho stragglers and. shirkers. The position in Now Zealand is different. Tho Defcnco Department wants a fixed number of men per month, and the only fair'method of selection appears ito be by ballot. Tho summoning of a whole class would not give the desired result. The preparation of a roll, therefore, has been an essential step, and a premature ballot would place a premium on shirking,' since .the man who had been slow to enrol, or who had evaded enrolment, would not figure in the ballot at all.
The Defence authorities hoped' last month that Clause 35 of the Act, dealing with the "family shirker," was going to provido some hundreds of conscripts . quickly. A long list of lianies had been prepared, largely _ from information supplied by recruiting organisations, and preparations had been made for dealing with them. But tho Department was anxious to be perfectly, fair in its dealings with the men, and some preliminary inquiry showed that in very many cases tho men whoso names had been recorded had already volunteered for service or had somo good reason for not doing so. The fact that a family contains two or more sons, not ono of whom wears khaki, does not prove that the 60ns have not offered their services, and the position has been'complicated by the fact that tho wearing of armlets has never becomo general in New Zealand among the men entitled'to display "tho Empire's badgo of honour." The Defenco Department proceeded to investigate tho cases brought under its notice, and probably it will be ready this week to dispatch tho first lot of notices under Clause So.
The date of the first ballot under the Act has not yet been fixed. Tho authorities do not expect now to bo abio to take a ballot this month, but tho roll,of the members of tho First Division may be ready for uso early in Npvomber, and it will be possible then to take into camp enough unmarried conscripts to till any gaps that may exist in the Reinforcement drafts. If Clause 35 provides a few hundred men, to bo added to tho supplementary drafts that are to oncer camp to-morrow, tho first ballot probably will be taken after the 23rd Reinforcements have been mobilised, in ordor to cover the expected shortage in the draft. Tho mobilisation of tho 23rd Reinforcements will begin on November 14.
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Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2910, 24 October 1916, Page 6
Word count
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737CONSCRIPTION Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2910, 24 October 1916, Page 6
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