BALLOT DEFAULTERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2975, 12 January 1917, Page 5

BALLOT DEFAULTERS

STATEMENT BY DEFENCE MINISTER ( It is a fact quito weir known that thenars men m Wellington, and preeumahly in _other groups, who. have . been drawn in the ballot tut who b.avo , not _obeyedl the order to .parade for medical examination, preparatory to being grafted into camp. The Hon. J. Allen, Defence Minister, informed a reporter who put .this to him yesterday that the public could be assured ■ • that defaulters, if there were any such, would be apprehended!, and dealt -with according to the law. Hβ also made »'short statement on the subject , .. I nave no information yet," ho replied, .'as to the number of men, if there are any, who have not obeyed, thour instructions to report to tie Medical Boards for medical examination, nor have I any report as to the number of men, if any, who have not . turned up .when they have been ordered to mobilise and go into camp with the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth •Reinforcements. If there are any such, men I repeat what I said down south: 'I hope that they will lose no time in carrying out the instructions that have been given to them'. . It ia an honourable thing for them to <2o,s»nd wheni the history of this" war conies to be written later on, New Zealand will have nothing' it can feel more proud of than if it is ia a position, to say / that not a single man evaidted his duty. —"• The Government lias to carry out. the . MA. . ■'These two classes 'of men, if there are men who have evaded medical examination or failed to turn up when ordered to mobolise, are under tile law, either absent without, leave i or they are deserters. I should! be very ; -sorry indeed to have to bring any man ( into camp. I much prefer, and hope, ; that every man will come in of his own . free will. In these early stages of the administration of the Act, the Defence ( .Department is quite prepared to treat : - men as absent without leave if they ,' will turn upland obey the call. It is an offence, and a serious offence, to bo absent without leave, but it is nothing like the offence, nor ia there attached to it the same disgrace, that must apply to the mail who'is a deserter. 'And the penalty for desertion may be a very heavy-one. I don't think there aro i many men who have not t obeyed the call, and again I say_ I hope that they' will reflect on the situation (if there are such men) and come in as men who . aro. absent without leave, and iiot compel us to treat them as deserters. I would hate to have to do so."