MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 225, 3 October 1916, Page 8

MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

PROVISION OF SECTION 35.

NOTICES TO BE SENT OUT,

. The Son, James Allen, Chairman of the Itecl'tiiting. Board, telegraphs as follows;—-

For some tir#& past Defence officers fls well -&§ recruiting committees throughout..the Dominion 'have -fceen compiling lists of families that come within the provisions of section 35 of the Military Service Act. This is the section that empowers the Minister for Defence, it he is satisfied with respect to any family that it consists of or includes two or more brothers Who belong to the first division of the Reserve and are not permanently medically unfit, to call <m any or'all of those brothers to show cause before a Military Service Board why they should not pi called upon for" service in the E voice. A total of between one and two thousand names have been submitted -to Defence headquarters as coming within this category. Steps aro now being taken to verify the particulars with 'respect to each 'of these men in order to ensure that the notice to appear before & Military .Service Board shall only bo served on those to whom section 35 does apply. It is expected that the progress of these inquiries will be sufficiently advanced to. enable tho first batch of notices to bo. sent out late this week, and they will then "be despatched, unless in the meantime the men concerned have by voluntary enlistment removed themselves fj'om the operation of section 35. It is intended to send these notices out through the''■group commanders, who have been instructed to caned, the notices in all cases whore the men named therein have since come forward and voluntarily enlisted. Although the Act empowers" the Minister for Defence to call on "any or all of these . brothers," it is interded to serve a notice on every brother in the first division, no matter how many may be affected in a family, and leave the Military Service Board to decide, as to how1 many brothers from one family shall serve. The Recruiting -Board, therefor©; wishes clearly to warn all brothers, who belong to the fLrst division of the Reserve, that this is their last chance -voluntarily,' to enlist. After this week they will be soldiers of the Expeditionary Force unless they can show cause to ia Military Service Board why they-should not be called up for -service..-.