THE CALL FOR MEN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2913, 8 November 1916, Page 6

THE CALL FOR MEN

MEDICAL BOARDS AT WORK

NAMES OF THE OFFICERS

Tho four ,Medical Boards appointed j wider the Military Service Act are ready to begin their work, and some preliminary sittings were held yestcr- j day. The first duty of these hoards is to examine men who have been summoned under Clause 85 of tho Act, and it is prohablo that this task will occupy them for the next two or three weeks. The boards are constituted as follow:— Auckland District—Dr. Fox (Christchurch) and Dr. Sprott (Marten). 'Wellington. District.—Major P. A. Lindsay, N.Z.M.O. (Auckland), and Dr. Jennings (Christclrurcli). Canterbury District.—Major J. Fitzgerald, N.Z.M.O. .(Dunedin), nind Major ,J. Whitton, N.Z.M.O. . (Oamaru). Otago.—Liout.-G'olonol P. R. Cook, N.Z.M.O. (late of the hospital ship Marama), and Major-H. H. Barcroft, N.Z.M.C. (Wellington). ■ Tho members of the 'boards will all hold tho temporary rank of lieutenantcolonel in the New Zealand Medical Corns, and they will devote their time to tho work of the Defence Department In. tho military districts to which they tliey have been,, assigned. It will be noticed: that no member of the hoards is assigned to his own go' that there will he little chance :of his haying porsonal lcnowledge of the man brought before him for -examination. ! l A man- who is summoned for service either under Clause 35 or in consejucnco of a ballot need not lodge an appeal if his ground 1 for claiming exemp- , tion is physical unfitness. He is bound to present himself for medical examina- • tion in any case, and will be required s to go before one of tho Medical Boards, whero his case will be considered by experts. If ho has any physical defect sr. weakness sufficient to disqualify liim for service, the fact -will be established .•then. . -

The recruiting campaign arranged 'by the; Defence Department is to be continued for four more days. Its effect cannot yet be gauged with certainty, but preliminary reports show that it lias not been w-ithout results. Recruiting has been stimulated to some extent in many of tho groups. The sergeantmajors who are at work in Group o (Wellington City and Suburbs) have covered a groat deal of ground already, and in addition to securing some recruits they have collected the names of men who appear to he liable for service; (under the family shirker" clauso oi It-lie Military Service Act. Group 5 had not previously been the scene of . a systematic recruiting canvass, such as the Citizen Becruitrng Committee unmanyjrther groups, and very Few notices under Clause 35 for men residing _in Wellington were included in the original distribution. .