MILITARY SERVICE APPEAL BOARD

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2936, 23 November 1916, Page 6

MILITARY SERVICE APPEAL BOARD

» SITTING AT pa.eSiekstox. By Telegraph—Prcfes Association. Palmerston North, November 22. The Military Service Appeal Board l sat at Palmerston to-dav, when John James and Stephen Williamson, two brothers, farmers of Waituna West, applied for oxemption. Their grounds for appeal wore: —(1) That it was contrary to the public interest because of their occupation. (2) Undue hardship because of the difficulty in obtaining expert and other labour for a large farm of 1400 acres. Stephen Williamson, sen., father of the appellants, said, he could not do active farm work. One of his sons had charge of the stock, and the other did the cropping. Besides his sons, ho employed a resident ploughman, a casual hand, aricl a boy. The place could do with eight men. His sons worked all the time on the farm. The Government valuation of the property was £20,000. Tho sons gave evidence that they were constantly engaged on tho farm, and ireckoned' they were doing their duty better on the farm than by going to the front. The. board dismissed tjie appeal of Stephen Williamson, and reserved its decision concerning 'John Williamson for five months, provided he remained in his present occupation during that time.