MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1620, 5 October 1916, Page 3

MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

A FINAL WARNING. Wellington, Last. Night. The work of preparing registers of the First and Second Divisions of the Expeditionary Force Reserve under the Military Service Act is now proceeding apace. It is just possible that the quotas of the new group recruiting districts for the 23rd. Reinforcements (the number draft) will be based on the men available in the first division of the reserve, but in any ease the machinery for taking a ballot should voluntary recruiting not produce the inou required, will then be in full working order. The Recruiting Board is very satisfied with the manner iu which men of military age have responded to the proclamation and enrolled in Ihe Reserve, but while this response has been quite up to expectations I have reason (o believe that a number of reservists have not enrolled, and I desire to sound a final note of warning to every man of military age who applied for bis certificate ot enrolment should now have received a card of acknowledgment. If any man has not got this card it must be because either bis application or the acknowledgment card has gone astray in transit. His proper course is to at. once, forward another application to the Government. Statistician, because it is not intended to wait, the issue of the certificates of enrolment before faking action in the ease of men, who there is reason to believe, are evading their legal obligations. In view of the probable early application of (ho ballot it would be manifestly unjust to permit any man by reason of the fact that bo has not enrolled to increase the chances of citizens who have loyally done (heir duty and therefore, it is intended to round up all suspects and ask them to produce an acknowledgment card as proof that they have applied for a certificate of enrolment. I wish to make it clear that it is not proposed to immediately take advantage of the general provisions of Seed ion 44, which empowers a. constable to question any man who may reasonably be supposed to be of military age. Present, action is to be restricted to specific, eases where the Government Statistician or the police have reason to believe that men have not registered. On conviction, all such men will be called up for service with the Expeditionary Force under Section 34 of the Act. J. ALLEN. Chairman of Recruiting Board.