BALLOT APPEALS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 233, 20 June 1918, Page 6

BALLOT APPEALS

ANOTHER LONG LIST l_ SOME CASES OF HARDSHIP. The Second Wellington Military Service Board sat all day yesterday to hear some 30 appeals. Mr. 1). G. A. Cooper (chairman of the board) presided, and Messrs. W. Perry and D. M'Larcn sat with him. Shortage of Electricians. Tho Patent Slip Company, represented by Mr. D. M. Fiudlay. appealed for tho exemption of George Haslett, electrical engineer, llvidence was given by tho secretary of the union that there was a great shortage of electrical engineers all over New Zealand, and it was urged that absolutely not another man couid be spared. It took five years to learn the work, and no apprentices were coming on to replace the men who had gone to the war. It was stated that Haslett did not wish to bo exempted, but he 6hnply could not be spared. Decision was reserved. Not a Reservist. Harry Binks Murphy, flax expert, Waikanae, appealed dn tho ground that he was domiciled in Australia, and was therefore not a reservist of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Mr. 11. F. Luckie appeared for the appellant. Murphy gave evidence thut ho had some time ago interested himself in the extraction of gum from linseed flax, and he came over to New Zealand to try to earn a bonus offered by the Government for tho extraction of gum from New Zealand flax. Ho came to New Zealand in April, 19U, and he had received sums of .CCOO from the Government to enable him to continue his research. He had done no work but this in all the time that ho had been in New Zealand, and he had spent about .£7OO of his own money in addition to the amount paid hy the Government. On one of his visits back to Australia he was married in Melbourne, and he had ono child. He had never had any intention of remaining in New Zealand. On the contrary, ho had been, offered inducements to return to Australia. Tho Agricultural Department had at last decided not to purchase his invention. As he said, "This country has got all my money and all my ideas. I've got nothing." Witness said that he had never made any endeavour to make a, home in New Zealand. Such furnituro as he had was stored in Melbourne. On his process he had onc'ouraging reports right along, and ho had been induced to stay here'in tho hopo that ho might be able to produce something which the Government would take up. Tho appeal was allowed.

A Useful Farmer. i Mr. Ward appeared to support the appeal of Henry Gorrie, dairy farmer, Mnngaroa. He said that Gorrie had appealed personally, nnd he also wished to put in an employers' appeal for the Mnngaroa farmers for whom Gorrie worked, he being the only expert ploughman and harvester in the valley. The chairman said that this did not put. these fanners in tho position of employers. It was optional to Gorrie whether ho worked for them or not. Appellant said he was 29 years old, married, with one child. Ho was the only man in Mangaroa Valley who had a full set of farm implements for the tilling of ground. If ho had to go to camp he did not think ho would bo able to get a manager for his farm. To tho chairman appellant slated that ho leased the farm two years ago from his father, who was a sheepfafmer, occupving land a mile and a -half distant. One of his brothers was at the war, one at Ohau, and another at' Mangaroa, (lie last a dairy farmer, on land six or seven chains from appellant's farm. His brother knew nothing about ploughing. No other man in the vallev went out ploughing for other farmers, although there were four who ploughed for themselves.

Evidence as to the value of Gorrie to the Mangaroa Settlement because of his work as a ploughman and teamster was given by James Maker, a. farmer in tho locality. Ho said that if Gorrie were taken away not only would his own farm go out of use for dairying, but other fa'rmers would have to give up winter milking for the city of Wellington. Decision was reserved. Appeals Allowed. Messrs. G. H. Scales and Co. appealed for tho exemption of Captain G. W. Airey, master of a barque trading to San Francisco. Mr. A. W. Blair appeared for the appellants. The appeal was adjourned indefinitely. In the appeal of Guy William Simpson, acting mate on the same vessel, decision was reserved sine die.

The South TaTanaki Shipping Co. appealed for tho exemption of John Henry M'Conville, an engineer on one of the company's vessels. Mr. A. W. Blair appeared for the appellants. Indefinite exemption was granted.

Victor Kirkbeck, grocer, Wellington, applied for exemption on the ground that ho was a Danish subject and therefore not a reservist. He came to NewZealand in December, 1912, and ho had not been naturalised. The appeal was allowed. W. M'Giashen Smith, storeman, Wellington, appealed on the ground of undue hardship. He said that he was the sole survivor of a family of ten, but his mother was still alive, aged 81. His wife's mother was living with. him. His own mother in Scotland received a pension of fs. a- week. Last year he was very lucky and he was able to send his mother .£2B. His wages were =C 3 a week. Decision was reserved sine die. Must be Replaced. Mr. A. W. Blair appeared in support of an employer's appeal on behalf of Robert Edward Bathurst, manager for George A. E. Bond and Co., warehouse--men. Batliurst said that Ije and his 'two brothers enlisted in October, 1914, in Sydney, where he then 'resided'. The brothers were accepted, but he was rejected for heart trouble. He consulted other doctors in Australia and in Wellinton, and they all declared him unfit. He had been classed CI. If he had to go into camp the branch of his firm in Wellington would have to close down. He said that lie would be only too pleased to go if he could bo made fit, but he was assured by his medical advisers, among whom he named lieutenant Colonel Kington Fyffe, that the Cl training could not possibly be a success in his case. Further hearing was adjourned until tho July sitting of the board,, in the meantime Bond and Co. to endeavour to replace tho appellant. Some Relief Granted. An .employer's . appeal was made on behalf of James Alexander King, farming tractor-driver, Ashburton. Mr. H. F. O'leary appeared for the appellants, Messrs. Hatrick and Co. King was not present. Leavo was asked for three months, in which time it might be possible to train another man as a demonstrator. King's work was to instruct farmers in the use of tractors. The appeal was dismissed, with leave nntil the September draft. Georgo William Booth; secretary of the Carpenters' Union, made appeal in his own name, but Mr. D. M. Findlny, who appeared in the matter, said that tho appeal was really made by the union as employer. He urged that the position of union secretaries now, when labour was scarce, was a very important one. Appellant stated that there were 850 mombers in tho union. Ho said (hat an organiser who knew tho men and their qualifications for work to he dono was very necessary. The custom of (ho trade was for employers to come to tho union for men, and he had had to find largo parties of workers at short notice for troopships. He was a married man with one child, and he was assisting as I'ar as he could to support his widowed mother. The appeal was dismissed, leave being given until the September draft, Charles Joseph Clark, masseur, of Wellington, a voluntary recruit, appealed for a medical re-examination and for six months' leave in which to arrange his affairs. Ho said that when ho enlisted ho was classed C 2, and, thinkini? that this was final, ho got married and entered into somewhat heavy pecuniary obligations. Ho said that ho had had his left shoulder injured some years ago,

and ho had also an injured knee, which made it impossible for him to take long walks. Major Corrigan, for the military, said that the appellant had boon very ilioroughlj examined by tho medical board, and tho board declared him quite fit for active service. The appeal was dismissed, leavo being given until the Septembor draft, Other Cases. An appeal was made by the Post and Telegraph Department for the exemption of Charles Chatteris, mechanician, Auckland, as being an indispensable export. Tho board rcsorved decision. Alfred Goodwin, fisherman. Island Bay, applied for total exemption en the ground that he was engaged in getting food for the people. He had a fishing launch of his own. He said that there wero about fourteen- boats at Island Bay, and soveral of them were short of men. It was im possible to get crews for fishing tats now. lie had never tried to get anyone to take his place. Decision was reserved. George Simiuonds, taxi-driver. AVellington, a single man, jppealed on the ground of undue hardship. He said that he supported his mother and ihive sisters. There were four sisters in the family, ono working and three going to fdiool; the mother was unable to do mything, and the father, who lived in Nelson, had lost an arm. Tho sister and he himself provided the total income of the family. Decision was reserved. Reginald John Downing, Pields Inspector, Walleceville, was ordeved to fo into camp in July. Mr. M. J. Eeardon, secretary to the ■Wellington Freezing Works Employees' Union, appealed in respect of Joseph Dillon, slaughterman, of jUastcrtou, a single man, aged 30. Mr. Reardon said he understood that ihe National Efficiency Board were inquiring into the whole position of the meat industry. Further hearing was adjourned until next sitting. Richard Atwill Metcalfe, commercial traveller, for whom Mr. H. F. fTLeary appeared, appealed on the ground of undue hardship. His wife, ,he said, was permanently a cripple, and suffered from rheumatism. The separation allowanco and allotment would not be sufficient to maintain her in her present state ot health. The board advised the rppellant to apply to the Financial Assistance Board, 'and meantime reserved decision until next sitting of the hoard. The hoard will sit at 10 a.m. to-day.