Military Service Boards

Levin Daily Chronicle, 25 January 1917, Page 3

Military Service Boards

———♦ (Government Alossage to The Chronicle) (By telegraph). Wellington, Jan. 24. Tho personnel of the additional Military Service Hoards which experience has shown to be necessary has now been completed a new permanent board lias been established in each military district, and will bo known as the second Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and o'ta.go Military Service Board respectively. In, addition it has been deemed expedient to appoint two further boards to enable the present large number of appeals now pending to: 'bo heard m next two, or three weeks. These boards will be known as the Third Wellington and Third Canterbury Boards respectively. It is not anticipated that they will bo required for longer than a month or six weeks, but it is imperative that all appeals from the first, second and third ballots and from Section 35 should bo disposed of not later than the middle of February. The new boards have been constituted as follows: Second Auckland Board: Fred Earl, K.C., of Auckland, to no chairman, and Frank Frankland H-ock-ly, farmer, of Parawera, Kihikihi, and Arthur Rosser, Labour secretary, of Auckland. The members of the Second Wellington Board are: Joseph William Poynton, Stipendary Magistrate, to> be chairman; Thomas Anderson Bamber, farmer, and chairman of the Wanganui Harbour Board; and Frederick Ou.xico, president of the the Wellington' Waterside Workers' Union. Tho members of the Second Canterbury Board are: Helyar Wed-derbuj-n Bishop, S.M., to bo chairman; Matland Gordon, Rich, retired farmer, of Christchurch; and Frederick Tom Efldlridge. foreman carpenter in 'the ompl'oy of tho Cliristehnrch City Council. Tho members of the Second Otago Board are: Victor Grace Day, Stipendiary Magistrate, to be chairman; Allen Scott Orfoell, filieepfarmer, of Waikouaiti; and Robert Breen, Labour secretary., of Dunedin. Members of Third Wellington Board : William Harold Sefton Moon-house, barrister, of Wellington, to be chairman; Andrew O'lLoughlan Considiine, of Martinborough; and Matthew Joseph Mack, general secretary of the Amalgamated Society, of Railway Servants. Members of the Third Canterbury Board: Harry Joseph Beswick, .barrister, to be chairman; Harry Edwin R/dbbins, agricultural implement worker, of Christchurc.h ; and Reginald Hugh Hunter Weston, fairmer, of Timaru. At first it was intimated that only one stipendiary magistrate would be available to act ais charm an. Appeals were therefore made through the presidents of the several law societies to members of the legal profession to assist the Government by 'offering their seirvices. •It was ifully realized that the acceptance of the positions would entail great sacrifice, and in view of that fact I greatly appreciate tho offers of assistance that were freely made by eminent members of the profession in all parts of the dominion, and tako this opportunity to. publicly express to them the sincere thanks of the Government. Every endeavour is now being made to complete arrangements so that the new boards may start hearing appeals forthwith.

The chairmen of the existing boards have been asked to confer with their colleagues with a view to so arranging the appeals now pending that all cases may be disposed cf with the greatest expedition. This is especially desirable in view of the fact that a heavy ballot will be taken early in February to make good any shortages then existing in the 27th and 28tli 'Reinforcements. I wish again to make it perfectly clear'that the calling up of two ■reinforcements in February 'does not mean that we are making any increase in the number of men we are sending to the front. This course is being adopted simply to give a period of two months between tho ballot and tho date when the men are to go to camp for training, because experience has shown that the present interval of one month is quito inadequate in which to hear appeals, conduct the medical' examinations and allow the time required by men in which to arrange their affairs. In addition it also has been decided to arrange for the medical examination of all men called lip for service immediately after the publication of the Gazette containing the results of the ballot. Up to tho present appellants have not been medically examined until after the hearing of their appeals. In practice this procedure has proved most inconvenient and unsatisfactory both to the boards and to the appellants. It is wholly in the interests of every man called up that he should know at the earliest possible moment whether he will be classed as fit or unfit. If a man is assed as unlit lie need not continue his appeal. He can either write withdrawing it or allow the case to go by default. Ho will then be transferred to tho home service section and given indefinite .leave without pay and will be free for the time being to continue his ordinary civil life. If he is passed as lit and is appealing then ho will know that the onus is on him to prove to the board that ho should not be called up for service.

Immediately after he is medically examined every man will be given the opportunity to attest. Attestation at the saJne time as. the medical examination will undoubtedly save the time of the recruit and the defence officer, and if an appellant is willing to be atttested then he can accept the positive assurance that the fact of attesting will in no -way affect or prejudice his position before the military service board when his appeal is heard. Any man passed medically fit who prefers not to be attested will bo attested after his appeal has been determined and dismissed by the board. There seems to be. an impression in some quarters that men drawn in the ballot are not given equal opportunity with volunteers for selection, as N.C.O's on probation. That is quite wrong. No distinction of any kind is made in selecting men for the N.C.O. Class and balloted men have just the same opportunity as voluntary .recruits for these positions. I would! like that fact to bo clearly understood. J. ADMEN, Chairman ißJecjnptdnfi Board.