"INDISPENSABLE"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 14, 11 October 1918, Page 4

"INDISPENSABLE"

THE FEILDING CASJE.

Recently the Feikling Justices of th( Peace protested against, the appointment as Clerk of the Court in their town ot a man who had. been exempted .from military service as v'indispensable" in the head office of the Justice Department ; n Wellington. A Dominion reporter, who made some further inquiries on the subject; yesterday, learned that the Justice Department does not propose to eend theman in miestbn to Feilding. He will be retained ■in his present position, but his formal promotion was necessary in-order that he might not suffer an injustice. The Departmental view is that a sine die exemption granted by a military service hoard should apply to the position then. occupied by the man and to any other position of equivalent importance. But it does not_ appear that there is any machinery in existence for the checking of transfers to equivalent positions. The- reporter gathered that there is feeling within the publif departments as well as outside on this point, and the suggestion was made that all cases of sine dio. exemption should bo required to be referred hack tb the Military Ssrvice| Boards for reconsideration in the event, of the. exempted reservist's duties be-' ing changed. The Military Service Boards _ have power to reopen a case of sine die exemption at aiiy time, but their attention may not be called to a change that alters the whole circumstances- of a case. It is a condition of the exemptions in many instances that the reservist shall remain in his -'present occupation." But the .machinery does not seem to move frcelv in all cases.