THE MAORI BALLOTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 229, 21 June 1919, Page 8

THE MAORI BALLOTS

HOW THEY OPERATED

SOME ELUSIVE RECRUITS

After the application of the Military Service Act to the Maoris, throe tmllots were held. Tlio first ballot took place in .May. 1918. The. number of recruit's Actually produced by these ballots > as small. Some JiSO names were drawji, <ind of these men '.111 wore sent, into camp, ami HI were umlor orders for ciiinp when tlio war ended. Them were 51 men awaiting medical examination in November last (it was not certain that, all would appear for examination), 117 luvn bad not been 1 raced, arid HG had been classed C 2. Nearly 80 names wero h'ruck off the lists afler inquiry. Tlio compilation of ilia Maori roll was n. tele of very great difficulty. The Government Statistician found it impossible (o get tho Maoris lo complelo Uoir registration w.hedulos, and other, means had lo bn adopted of preiwrin; ;v list of First Division Natives of military age. Later experience showed that the list had many dcfects.

When the Maori Military Service Boards began their work, special precautions were taken lest (he :ncn should disappear into the fastnesses of tho nurtluand between the da- 1 -" of tho issue of tho Gazelle, and tho delivery of tlio notices. For this purpose even' Maori drawn in a ballot received, with tho notification that he. had been tu drawn, n military.order lo parade on a specified iluto for medical examination. An itinerary was prepared by Hie Recruiting Branch, in consultation v.ilii the group commanders concerned, and complete, arrangements were made to ensure that, having applied the compulsory clauses of tho Military Service Act, the Department risked the loss of as few men as possible. At the best, however, tho application of the compulsory clauses of tho Act to tho Maoris could scarcely foe said to havo been'a satisfactory matrer, either to tlio Government or lo the Department. It was found that many Maoris had ns many names as, practically, they had ancestors. Some had English names as well as two or more Maori names, and some had Maori mimes spelt differently in tlio different parts of the country, and in addition, were tiie nroiid possessore of more than . one English name. Where a Maori wished to escape liis obligations it was comparatively easy for him to disclaim identity" with tho man drawn in the bailor, and it was particularly difficult for tho Department to prove that his disclaimer was not genuine. 'Die power of arrest for failure to attend medical examination was placed in tho hands of the group commanders concemcd, and several fairly large parties of Maoris wero arrested a:id conducted to . camp. The men who came from the Pacific Islands to servo with the New Zealand Forces were all volunteers and (hero was no difficulty abuut getting them into camp. In response to the offers of assistance made by tho Administration of the islands adjacent. lo New Zealand, voluntary recruits were accepted for service with the Maori section ot the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.- In some oases the-Administration paid the cost of transport and equipment', and .further, paid tho men themselves. l>avo-' tongans, Fiiians, Gilbert Islanders, lillice Islanders, «nd others were brought over to Now Zealand in such number as. the Administrations decided on, and received their training in this country prior- to ombarkation for active, service abroad. Military and medical officers li. ohe service of the -Administrations cf these Tsluuds were appointed as attesting and medical officers respectively, si, that, in tho majority of cases the recruits weja attested after having passed medically lit in ho islands. This ensured tint onlv tit men wero sent to. New Zealand, and naturally saved bolli Governments considerable expense. l)f those sent to ->cw Zealand GUI had embarked or ncl-iro service or were in a ramp of training lir New Zealand on arm slice nay. The total number of Maoris sent overseas during the war. was 2p, whije there wero ITfl in training m the Dominion at tho dale of tlio armistice.