SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3108, 12 June 1917, Page 6

SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE

CLASSIFICATION AND MEDICAL

EXAMINATIONS

STATEMENT BY MINISTER

Some time ago the Wellington Second Division League forwarded resolutions to tho'Minister of Dst'euco dealing with the questions of classification and dependants, pre-ballot medical examination, end State responsibility. A reply has nowbeen received from the Minister as follows :—

"Dear Sir,—l duly received your letter of tho 23rd ultimo, forwarding resolutions with reference to matters in connection with military service, nnd theso I had pleasure in submitting 'to the Recruiting Board for consideration at its last meeting. "So far as the classification of tho Second Division is concerned, this matter is now "being further considered in consequence of further advice that has been received by tho Defence Department from England. Tho board, however, cannot see its way to make any hard and fast provision with respect to dependants, as it considers that this is a question that should be properly left to the Military Service Boards for consideration. Uvery reservist called up for service has tho right to appeal on the ground of undue hardship, and tho opportunity will then be afforded to the Military Service Board that hears the appeal to consider «ach case on its merits. Tho boards havo full discretion, if satisfied that a reservist has dependants other than his wife and children, to defer the calling up of such reservist -until the equivalent later clms is being balloted for. "The question of the medical examination of Second Division reservists before being called up by ballot has been very carefully considered, and it is regretted that the request of your league cannot be given effect to for.the reasons already stated. Tho main difficulty, however, is that it would be practically impossible to provide the medical boards necessary to do the work and to carry on at the same time tho medical examination of the men who are now being called up in the current ballots.

With, respect to the request of jour league that the Government should make the medical examination of reservists the deciding factor as to the liability of the State, so that if a man is passed as physically fit by the Medical Board the State should take full responsibility from the moment of his entering camp, the board is unatle to agree to this as a general principle. Experience nae shown that without some safeguards the State would be faced with liabilities it should not be called on to carry. Tn many cases men do not disclose their previous medical history when the question is nut fn tiioin I>J the examining doctors, and their phyfical disabilities are only discovered during training in camp. 'These men have no.claim in equity on the State. The present position is that a man who is passed as fit and whose breakdown in camp has been caused or accelerated by his training in camp is entitled to the same consideration, so far as pensions are concerned, as a man who has actually been on active service ' "Yours fnithfnUv. I "(FW.I J. AT/r.FA'. I ".Minister of 'Defence." Commenting on the foregoing, Mr. B. A. Armstrong, president of the league, J said that so far as classification was concerned the league recognised the difficulty of going beyond tho wife and children of the reservist, but they were strongly desirous of securing recognition for the men who had other sole dependants bv setting up a special definite ground of appeal for transference to a later class. No doubt the members of the league would be keenly disappointed with the answers to the requests for pre-ballot medical examination, and the taking of full responsibility by the State from the moment a reservist entered camp. Hoffimnjr particularly to the statement in the Minister's reply that "experience has shown that without some safeguard the State tvouW be faced with liabilities it should not be called on to cany," Mr. Armstrong said: "There is a natural tendency on the part of all of us to forget what constitutes the State. The people are the State and the Government the Executive of . the people. We must keep this simple truth before us in viewing all these problems. The soldiers serving this country, or about to sens (put down at, say, 100,000), constitute a potent proportion of the State as a whole., and a much greater proportion of the actual active energy of the State. Safeguards are certainly necessary to protect the State (the whole of the people) from exploitation in many waye by individuals; but safeguards are also neopssnry to prevent one portion of the State being sacrificed for the benefit flf another portion. There can be no liabilities* "arising out of the aetnal conscription of the lives of a portion of the State which the State should not be called upon fo eariT. If a man is taken from liis normal life and forced into a system for which he is in any way unfitted, then the State must accept full responsibility for whatever consequently happens to that man. The military authorities have doubtless had some experience, under the voluntary system, of young and enthusiastic men, or those otherwise anxious to go with the forces, failing to diwlo.se their p-pvinns medical liistory: but they will find that, under compulsion, aiid particularly with the Second Division, there will be. no such reticence. Tho married men of this country are prepared to do their duty under the compulsory svstem. which, properly administered, is tho only fair and just way of meeting our national obligations; but there are verv few 1 married men who nre so anxious to break with their homes and embark on tins adventure that they would deliberately hide their personal defects. Therefore, the authorities need haVR no fear regarding full statements of weak points being supplied by balloted reservists when their turn comes to face H>p ni>»iif-si! board"!. On the otber hand, there have been several cases where men have inside full declarations of their physical unfitness, and have still been Rfiit into camp only lr : break down under the fitrninj 1 was informed "vestordsiy of one mail who came up in the Thirtieths' draft from the south a few days ano, now put forward to tV Twcnty-risMhs, •whose left arm is withered. Mv informant, also from the same draft, w«s himself turned down twice under the voluntary system for varicocele, but has uow been sent into camp. ,.