The Dominion WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1917. THE SECOND DIVISION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3109, 13 June 1917, Page 4

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 1917. THE SECOND DIVISION

A number of questions are still open in relation to the enrolment of Second Division reservists which should bo settled as soon as possible in view of the fact that the timo is near at hand when reinforcement drafts will have to bo drawn wholly from the Second Division. Neglect of these questions would bo likely to result in a certain amount of muddlcmcnt and to occasion grievances which may easily bo avoided and averted by a litfclo timely forethought. It is in every way desirable that the conditions which are to govern the enrolment of the Second Division should as far as possible be- clearly determined in advance. At the outset it may bo noted as satisfactory that the request of the Wellington Second Division League for information as to the total number of men to bo sent out of New Zealand on active service has dropped out of notice. This question, if it is to bo raised at all —and there is no justification for raising it at presont—concerns the country as a wholo and not tho Second Division. Tho members of the Second Division as a body are undoubtedly ready and willing to do their part as long as the call for reinforcements continues, and in raising any suggestion of limitation at this timo tho Second Division League- would not only misrepresent the spirit of the Division, but would destroy its own capacity for usefulness in directions in which thorc is legitimate scope for its activity. Most of the questions raised in recent communications between tho League and the Minister of Defencb aro fairly open to discussion, and in a number of cases there is manifest room for amendment and reform. As regards classification, tho Government is wisely amending its first proposal in such a way as to remove unfair anomalies, and tho classification now proposed will no doubt meet with general approval. A less satisfactory position has been reached in regard to defining the liability of the State in respect of men who are taken into camp and subsequently discharged in impaired health and with their earning power temporarily or permanently reduced. In this particular matter there is n, great deal to be said for the view expressed by Mr. 11. A. Armstrong, president of tho. Wellington Second Division League, in a statement published in our columns yesterday. It is impossible to dissent on broad grounds from Mr. Armstrong's contention that there can be ho liabilities arising out of the actual conscription of the lives of a portion of the State which tilio State should not be called upon to carry. Tho Minister of Defexcb seems to lay more emphasis than the facts warrant upon his countercontention that in many cases men do not disclose their previous medical history when the question is put to them by the examining doctors, unci thnt such men, whoso disabilities are only discovered during training, have no claim in equity upon the State. It is, of course, true that a man who deliberately concoals physical defects or disabilities which make it impossiblo that he., ehould bear Iho strain of active scr- '

vice forfeits any claim he might otherwise have upon the Government on account of his breakdown in camp. But what is known about the ruling conditions of medical examination and about tho numbers of men discharged unfit from cam]) certainly docs not suggest that recruits aro subjected to any very searching inquisition in regard to their previous medical history, or indeed that the examination is in general particularly thorough. The whole question will bear further investigation, and meantime it must lie held that only where actual and deliberate fraud has been perpetrated is the State entitled to disown liability on account of men who break down in camp. _ Other questions of commanding importance -at this juncture relate, to the medical examination of Second Division reservists before they aro called up by ballot and to balloting procedure. It may not bo out of place to suggest "to tho Minister tho necessity of viewing and dealing with" these questions from the broadest possible standpoint, and with due regard to the national and" individual interests.iuvolved. The first essential, to which all else is secondary, is that reinforcement drafts shall l.c raised and dispatched according to schedule. But it is only less important that the Dominion should meet its military obligations with the minimum possible disturbance of its commercial and industrial affairs. There is no need jto labour tlje point. Industrial efficiency is a big factor in modern war, and commerce is more truly the lifc-Hlood of the nation in time of war than it is in time of peace. The principal justification of tho proposal that Second Division reservists should be given tho option of being medically examined before they aro called up by ballot is that this procedure would tend in an important degree to minimise the disturbance of business and the consequent economic strain which the country has £o bear as more and more men are called up for active service. The prior medical examination of reservists would be in one aspect a concession to tho individual, but it is much move important that it would serve a national interest by giving time for the arrangement of affairs, or in some cases uy showing such an arrangement to bo unnecessary, and so reducing tho disturbance of business and industry to a minimum. The Minister's contention- that , insuperable difficulties oppose the prior examination of recruits seems to oall for reconsideration. At all events it requires to bo supported by more conclusive evidence before it can bo finally adopted. In a letter which was published in The Dominion yesterday, Mr. Allen informed tho Wellington Second Division League that the main difficulty 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 arc now being called up in tho current ballots. This contention must carry weight, but some known facts tend to rob it of its force. In the first place, the medical boards are not all continuously employed at present—perhaps none of them aro so employed. Again, evidence was lately given by Dr. Valintine before a military service board to tho effect that it was not necessary in all cases to exempt doctors drawn in tho ballot. There is a general shortage of qualified medical men at present, but it appears that the shortago is not so acute in New Zealand as to prevent tho Government increasing tho number doctors at its disposal. To provo his case even to a point, the Minister should show that it is impossible for the Government to so organiso and utilise the doctors at its disposal as to provide for the medical examination of a larger number of immediate and prospective recruits. It is to be noted in any case that tho number of men called in each ballot is now double what it was at an earlier period. The increase has been made apparently without putting any visible strain upon the medical boards, and even the maintenance of the present monthly total of_ examinations when the Second Division has been called upon, apart from any further increase in the activities of the medical boards, would soon put the number of men oxamined well ahead of immediate recruiting requirements. All that has been urged in favour of tho prior, medical examination of Second Division reservists equally supports another proposal which, so far as we know, has not hitherto been made publicly, but which certainly deserves consideration. It is that balloting should be carried out considerably ahead of immediate requirements. Tho machinery of the ballot is working so well and smoothly that thoro would presumably be no difficulty in drawing tho reinforcement drafts months before tho period at which they will becomo liable for service. The men called in the ballot would thus know months ahead of the date on which they would be expected to go into camp. Like the prior medical examination of reservists, this procedure would bo in the national interest as tending to minimise the- disturbance of business and industry, and generally to reduce economic strain. This is a consideration to which the Minister of Defence and tho Government are bound to attach very jyrea-t weight, the more so as it may fairly bo claimed that revision of the conditions of enrolment on tho lines which have been suggested would facilitate of hamper fulfilment of the primary and essential duty of securing the punctual dispatch of reinforcement drafts -as long as they may be required.