MILITARY SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2986, 25 January 1917, Page 6

MILITARY SERVICE

THE NEW APPEAL BOARDS AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT APPEALS AND MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS An important statement regarding the" constitution and work of the new Military Service,, Boards, and the amended ballot arrangements, was issued yesterday by the chairman 1 of the Recruiting Board (tho Hon. J. SHeii}. Six new boards have been created, and are to begin work almost at once, in order to dispose of the accumulations of appeals. The statement was as follows:-— "The personnel 'of the additional Military Service Boards, which experience has shown to be necessary, has now been completed. A new permanent board has been established in each military district, and will be known as the Second Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago Military Service Board respectively. In addition; it has been deemed expedient to appoint two further boards to enable tho present large number of appeals now pending to be heard in the next two or three weeks.. These boards will be known as the Third-Wellington and Third Canterbury Boards respectively. It js not anticipated that they will be required for longer than a month or six weeks, but it is imperative that all appeals from the first, second, and third ballots and from Section 35 sßauld be disposed of not later than the middle of February. The New Boards. . The new Military Service Boards have been constituted as follow:— Second Auckland Board: Fred Earl, K..C, of Auckland, to be chairman, and Frank Frankland Hockly, farmer, of Parawera, Kihikiki, and Arthur Rosser, Labour Secretary, of Auckland, members. , Second Wellington Board: Joseph William Poynton, Stipendiary Magistrate, to be chairman,; and Thomas Andersen Bamber, fanner, and chairman of Wangariui Harbour Board, and Frederick Curtice, president of the Wellington Waterside Workers' "Union, members. ; ■ , Second Canterbury Board: Helyar Wedderburn Bishop, S.M., to be chairman and Maitland Gordon Rich, retired farmer, of Christchiirch, and Frederick Tom Eldridge, foreman carpenter in employ of Chnstchurch City Council, members. Second Otago Board: Victor Grace Day, Stipendiary Magistrate, to bo chairman, and Allen Scott Orbell, sheepfarmer, of Waikouaiti, and Robert Breen, Labour Secretary, Duuedin, members. . .. * _ Third Wellington Board: William Harold Sefton Moorliouse, barrister, of Wellington, to be chairman, and Andrew O'Loughlin Considine, of Martinborough, and Matthew Joseph Mack, General Secretary Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, members. Third Canterbury Board: Harry Joseph Beswick, barrister, to be chairman, and Harry Edwin Bobbins, agricultural implement worker, of Christchurch, and Reginald Hugh Hunter Weston, farmer, of Timaru, members. 'At first it was intimated that only one Stipendiary Magistrate would bo available to act as chairman. Appeals, were therefore made through the presidents of the several Law Societies, to members of the legal profession; to assist' the Government by offering their services. It was-fully realised that tho acceptance of tho position would entail great sacrifice, and in view of that fact T greatly appreciate the of assistance that were freely made by eminent members of the profession in all parts of the Dominion,, and take this opportunity to publicly express to them the sincere thanks oi' the Government. Hearing of Appeals. / Every endeavour is now being made to complete arrangements, so that the new boards may start hearing appeals forthwith.. The chairmen of the existing boards have been asked to. confer with their colleagues, with a View to so arranging the appeals now pending that all cases may be disposed of with the greatest expedition. This is especially desirable in view of the fact that a heavy ballot will be taken early, in February to make good any shortages then exiting 'in the Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-eight Reinforcements. I wish again to make it perfectly clear that the calling up of two Reinforcement in February does not mean that we are making any increase in the number of men wo are sending to the front. This course is being adopted simply to give a period of two months between the ballot and the date when the men are to go to camp for training, because experience has shown that the present interval of one month is quite inadequate in wliich to hear appeals, conduct, the medical examinations, and allow the time required by men in which to arrange their -affairs. ..'... i Medical Examination. In addition, it has also been decided to'.arrauge for-tho medical examination of all men called up for service immedi•ately following the publication .of, the Gazette containing tlie results of the ballot. Up to the present, appellants have not been medically examined until after the hearing of their appeals. In practice this .procedure has proved .'most inconvenient and unsatisfactory; both to the Boards and to the appellants. It is wholly in the interest of every man called up that he should know at the earliest possible moment whether ho will be' classed as fit or unfit. If a man is passed as unfit, he need not continue his appeal. He can either write withdrawing it, or allow the case to go by default. He will then; be transferred to the Home Service section and given indefinite leave without pay, and will be free for tho time being to continue his ordinary civil life. If he is passed as fit and is appealing, then he will know that the onus is on him to prove to the Board that ho should not be called up for service. Immediately after he is medically examined every man will be given the opportunity to attest. Attestation at the same time as medical examination, will undoubtedly save the time of the-recruit and tho Defence officers, and it an appellant is willing to be attested, then ■ he can accept the positive assurance that the fact of attesting will in no way affect or prejudice his position before the Military Service Board when his appeal is heard. Anyman passed medically fit who prefers not to bo attested will be attested after his appeal has been determined and dismissed by tho Board. ' Thero seems to be an impression in some quarters that men drawn in the ballot are not given equal' opportunity with volunteer's for selection as n.c.o.'s on probation'. That idea is quite wrong. No distinction of any kind is made in selecting men for the n.c.o. class, and balloted men have just the same opportunity as voluntary recruits for these positions. I would like that fact to be clearly understood.—J. Allen, .Chairman of' Recruiting Board. INVITATION TO REJECTED MEN Two Medical Boards arc sitting in Wellington at the prraont time to deal with balloted men. and voluntary recruits. One board is examining men called up in the third ballot to coyer shortages in the Twenty-sixth Reinforcements. The second hoard, consist-

iiiK of Coloney Purdy and LieutenantColonel' Elliott, is sitting primarily to deal with previously rejected men who may re-enlist in compliance with the suggestion made by the- Defence Minister. Any man who has already volunteered and been rejected may reenlist now and go before the board. If accepted, tlioy will go into camp, at some future date. If rejected again, they will bo removedjrom the roll and wili bo free of the chances of the ballot. The following- additional voluntary recruits have been attested at the' Town Hall Recruiting Office within tho last few days:— W. Read, farmer, City. H. H. Fawcett, driver, Newtown. V. Adair, warehouseman, City. J. W. S. Leonard, clerk, City. C. H. Fyfe, grain buyer, Rona Bay. H. T. Langlcy, driver, City. F. Miles, labourer, City. J. W. Lucas, tailor, City. P. G. Harper, tanner, City. P. M. Jacksoli, teacher, City. L. 6. Bennett, linesman, Newtown. S. F. Hudson, seaman, Eastbourne. L. R..E. Senior, clerk, City. C. 0. K. Murray, clerk. Kelburn. F. C. Turley, tram conductor, City. W. H. Vincent, labourer, City. L. C. Walker, mercer, City. J. -P. Kelly, labourer, City. A. Worsfield, tailor, Brooklyn. A HINT TO MEN WHO ARE LIABLE By Telegraph—Press Association. Gisborne, January 24. Arising out of a casG before the Military Service Board to-day, Captain Walker declared that it shouETDe distinctly borne in mind that in the, case of contracts entered into since the passing of tho Military Service Act by men liable to be called up, these men were liable to go into camp at any time. If a man entered into a contract under such conditions, he went into it with his eyes open, and took the risk.- No one should complain if a contract under these conditions was loft uncompleted. Every man who was in the First Division must know that in the course of the next six or eight months he was bound to be called tip, and would have to go into camp, and tako the consequent financial loss, if any. ; Tho Chairman: Wo have to take all circumstances into consideration in giving our decision.