MILITARY TRAINING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3782, 21 April 1928, Page 3

MILITARY TRAINING.

DICTATES GF CONSCIENCE!. EXEMPTION REFUSED. Auckland, April 19. On the ground that he was not prepared to act on the evidence he had before him, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon refused applications lodged by four university students for exemption from military training. The applicants were Allen M. Richards (aged 21), William E. Byrt (aged 19), Alexander Miller (aged 19), and Leonard G. Usher {_ag e( l 21). Richards, Byrt, and Miller were stated to be students for the Presbyterian ministry, lvhile Usher was a teacher, a member of the Methodist Church, and a licensed preacher. Exemption had on three occasions been refused to Richards, and it had been denied to Usher late last year. The applications of Miller and Byrt were made for the first time. Mr. Cocker, on behalf of the applicants, said the question of their becoming scoutmasters had ceased to become of any practical importance because of the attitude which the Scout movement itself had adopted, but in any event the applicants could not properly give any undertaking to become scoutmasters if exemption were granted, because they might not be acceptable or suitable as such, and had not the necessary training. “These men come here because they hold sincere and honest beliefs, and they have the support of the Presbyterian Church,” Mr. Cocker added. The Magistrate: “Wthat I gather is that the Presbyterian Church does not disapprove of their attitude, but I do not know that the whole Church supports them.” Mr. Cocker said that if the applications were not granted it could only be inferred that the Magistrate did not believe the applicants, and that they had come to Court and deliberately professed a belief to get out of a certain duty when in fact they did not hold this belief. “All I have had is the evidence of the boys themselves, and the evidence of opinions of ministers,” the Magistrate replied. “This evidence I have had to weigh' carefully, and I have done this. I can quite understand a man saying, ‘No, I cannot do this thing because I believe it wrong,’ but I cannot understand a man who says, ‘No, I cannot do this thing, and I will not do that, or that, or that.’ Surely they are prepared to do some substitute service. 'Surely they would read to the sick?” Mr. Cocker: “Anything pertaining to a military camp cannot be done by them. It is against their conscience.” The Magistrate: “Against their conscience to help in the St. John Ambulance? Then I have no consideration with a man who has such a conscience. It is an important matter, certainly. If I granted these four applications today I would have four hundred in a month. There are but two points upon which I must be satisfied. firstly, their bona fides, and secondly, that to shoulder arms is against their belief.” The applications were refused. Mr. Hunt said that if the applicants did not go to drill they would be fined. A young man, a member of the Christadelphian Church, who stated his beliefs were opposed to war, but he was prepared to do other work, was granted exemption.