APPEAL BOARD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 16 October 1942, Page 2

APPEAL BOARD

NELSON SESSION FURTHER CASES HEARD The Armed Forces Appeal Board | continued its session in the Supreme j Courtroom, Nelson, yesterday when further appeals for service exemption | were heard- The board comprised | Messrs G. L. Page (chairman), JDicker, and L. Ward. The following eases were heard: An appeal was lodged by the Bank of New Zealand (Mr J- N. Smith) against an employee, It. E. Featherstone, being called up for clerical

duties with the Air Force. Reservist had previously been medically examined for territorial service and graded class 3. The manager of the Nelson branch of the bank, Mr J- N. Smith, gave evidence that reservist was employed as a teller with 17 years’ training and was most essential to the work of the branch. Evidence was given of the comparative pre-war and present staffs of the branch. Of the senior staff of the branch which now numbered 10 as compared with 14 before the war, several had been called by ballot but had not yet been medically examined. The appeal was adjourned until 30 th November. An appeal for exemption from service for V. H. Moore was lodged by H. L. Moore (Mr E. B. Moore) and was supported by the Wakefield Primary Production Committee. Evidence was given that reservist, who was a married man with two children was engaged in farming in conjunction with appellant, farm lands of about 500 acres, carrying 1100 sheep, some dairy cattle, and growing fairly extensive crops. In addition he did all the shearing for appellant and last year he had shorn 1000 sheep for neighbours. Appellant had one other son whose health did not permit his doing work on the hill country which comprised most of the farm land. , Each year 250 acres of land were top-dressed by hand. The appeal was adjourned until

31st January, 1943. Reservist was directed to join the Home Guard. W. L. La wry appealed in respect of an employee in a lime works, D. C. Morrison, who was fully experienced in all branches of lime work. Reservist was one of four permanent men engaged at the works and it took four men to run the plant at any time. Owing to the increased demand for lime three extra men were employed at present. One of these three was only on temporary leave from the Armed Forces, another was going shearing in a short time and the third was an inexperiI enced worker. W. L. Lawry stated j in evidence that the demand for lime j had increased by 25 per cent, since ! last year- Reservist was a married I man with three children and was an , n.c.o. in the Home Guard, i The appeal was adjourned sine

1 die. The National Tobacco Co. Ltd., j appealed for a grower, M. S- Mead, j who held a contract for eight acres j of tobacco and in addition he had 14 i acres of wheat, 3 acres of peas for ! canning, 20 acres of swedes and i turnips, 8 acres of barley and 300 i sheep. Reservist was a grade 2 man. , The appeal was adjourntd sine i die. The board heard an appeal by A. J. Robertson, a farmer of Wairoa Gorge, who was represented by Mr E. B. Moore. Evidence was given that reservist, a grade 2 man, was frming property of 380 acres at Brightwater carrying 350 breeding j ewes and 50 cows supplying the Waimea Dairy Co. He grew' 10 acres of oats, 15 acres of rape, 1 acre of early peas and half an acre of broccoli. Reservist was a married man with three children, and a member of tne Home Guard. Mr Moore asked for an adjournment of service to allow his client time to harvest his crops and sell his property at Brightwater. The appeal was adjourned sine die-

An appeal was lodged in respect of P. N. Tomlinson (Mr J. Ralfe) who operated a carrying business in conjunction with V. Tomlinson. They had three trucks each working in the Ngatimoti and Tapawera district. Reservist was the only carrier operating in the Ngatimoti district and also ran a general store and petrol pump. His work comprised general farm freight work and his three trucks were fully occupied all the time. Reservist was a married man with two children and a member of the Home GuardThe appeal was adjourned sine die. F. G. Nicholls appealed in respect of his son, N. G. S. Nicholls, aged 18, a grade 1 man, who was his only employee in his business for supplying firewood. Reservist was employed as a truck-driver delivering wood and a tractor-driver hauling wood from the bush. Appellant stated that it would be possible for his son to carry out three months’ training each year, in August, September and October. The business supplied schools, a military camp and several bakers. The board granted a sine die adjournment. The board heard an appeal from L. T. Price, a married man with two young children, who had a farm of 420 acres at Poorman’s Valley which he farmed without any assistance. He ran 20 milking cows, 15 store cattle and 300 sheep. In addition he gave assistance to his father whose property of 500 acres was adjoining his own. Reservist was a member of the emergency traffic police attending regular parades. The appeal was adjourned sine

dieAn appeal by the Tapawera Primary Production Committee in respect of R. J. Taylor, an 18-year-old gi ade 1 man, was opposed by reservist’s father who stated that neither he nor his son wished to appeal. He only required his son’s services during the busy season. The appeal was dismissed subject to reservist not being called up until 31st January, 1943. The Korere-Motupiko committee of the Primary Production Council and C. C- Nash appealed in respect of G. J. Wilkinson, a farmer holding contracts for 30 acres of tobacco. He alco grew 75 acres of wheat, 30 acres of oats, 10 acres of peas for canning, 4 acres of potatoes, 100 acres of swedes, turnips and rape, and ran approximately 1000 sheep. In addition he had three tractors and other machines which he used extensively in giving assistance in cultivation and harvesting to farmers in

the district. Only two men were employed at present. The appeal was adjourned .sine die. The board heard an appeal by D. Wilkinson, Mr C. R- Fell appearing for appellant. Evidence was given that appellant who was a married man with one child, was farming without assistance a farm carrying 26 cows, 70 ewes, and 35 pigs- He grew 6 acres of peas for cannjfig, which would yield over 600 bags, and about one acre of broccol i y ■ i l ' ing 70 sacks. He had 20 acres of hay to cutThe appeal was adjourned sine die, reservist being directed to join the Home Guard after 15th January,

1943. The board heard an appeal by M. It. Wells for a postponement of military service for a period to allow sufficient time for appellant to either j sell or lease his own property and arrange for someone to manage a property which he was working for a member of the Middle East Forces. His own orchard property yielded between 3,000 and 4,000 cases of apples per year, while the other pro perty in his care would yield about 2000 cases. He was negotiating with someone to take over one of the properties, but had been unable, in spite of strenuous-efforts to dispose of his own property. Reservist stated that he was anxious to give military service, but asked time to ensure the harvesting of the coming season’s crop. He was a married man with two children.

The appeal was dismissed subject to reservist not being called up until 30th April, 1943Transport (Nelson) Ltd. appealed in respect of an employee, L. E. Williams, a grade 1 man who was employed as a driver of a bulldozer engaged in essential military workIt was impossible to replace men as bulldozer drivers and at present the company had one man released on loan from the Army for bulldozer driving. The case was adjourned, to be reviewed after 31st Tanuary, 1943. A review of a previous appeal by

Nelson Dairies Ltd. (Mr W. V. Rout) m respect of two employees. B. V. Thomal son and Y. O. Sutton came before the ! board. Since the last appeal had been made there had been no improvement in the acute shortage of labour experienced by the company and it had been found impossible to replace men. One senior man who had not been in a key position with the company was due j to gc into camp shortly and nan nut ( been appealed for. Reservist Sutton ; was also working on his farm when his work with Nelson Dairies was com- | pleted. He was working approximately a 14-hour day. Reservist Thomason assisted his father on his farm during the afternoons. Both reservists were married men. The board was of the opinion that the hours of work of both men precluded them from giving Flome Guard service. The appeals in respect of both Sutton and Thomason were adjourned sir.e die. J. S. McPherson (Mr C. M. Rout) appealed for release from camp of his son K. H. McPherson, to resume work with him as carpenter. It was stated in evidence that reservist was a grade three man and in camp was employed only on camp fatigues. He had stated that for the last 10 months he had done no training. Appellant stated that his son was a skilled joiner with years of special experience in building tobacco kilns. Appellant had orders to build 7 tobacco kilns and a shearing shed. The shearing shed would have to be done in the next fortnight, and the tobacco kilns had to be completed ;by the end of February. Four mer* were employed at present out tins number was not sufficient to deal with the work which was of a specialised natu-.v. The board recommended the release from camp of reservist. J. Green, a storekeeper of Richmond, appealed foi’ release from camp ol E. J. Taplin. a single man. aged 18. graded ■ class one. Mr J. Ralfe appeared for appellant. Appellant <J. Green) was ; himself in camp and since he had left . Taplin had carried on the business : with the assistance of two girls until he (Taplin) had been called up. Reser-

vist had been home on sick leave for 2£ months. The store served about 200 customers. Since reservist had gone into camp his father had done the work after he had finished his own work as a milk-roundsman. The introduction of zoning in the near future would mean that deliveries would have to be made in one day and Taplin senior would oe unable to do the delivery. The two girls could not do the bulk delivery , work of a country store, the buying, or the heavy lifting work. The board recommended that reservist be released from camp for six weeks. An appeal >m respect of liis sole employee R. Brunning was lodged by G. Rankin. Appellant, who was 74 years of age. had a farm of 38 acres growing 5 acres in respberries which last season yielded 6 tons. Reservist who was his only assistant was a married man with one child. The appeal was adjourned until 31st January. 1943. H. Baigent and Sons appealed for exemption from military service for nine employees engaged in timber milling and boxmaking. The reservists were: N. J. Taylor, a single man. grade 2. employed as bushman at Tasman: R. G. Tasker, a single man. grade 2. employed as travelling bench worker at Waiwero; L. W. Wilson, a married man, grade 2. employed as a bushman at Redwood's Valley: F. M. Hurley, a single man, grade 2. employed as bushman at the Waiwero Mill; R. H. Vollmer. a single man, grade 1, employed as head bushman at Redwood’s Valley; E. W. Sigglekow, a single man grade 1, engaged in tailing out at the Redwood’s Valley mill; H. K. Nicholls. a single man, grade 1, employed as bushman at Tasman where there were only 3 men at present, although six were needed; ,C. C. Briggs, a single man. grade I. head nailer at the Nelson factory; and A. E. Kemp, single, grade 1. employed as head sawyer at Nelson.

The board expressed concern at the number of single, grade 1 men who were being appealed for and Mr J. Dicker asked whether it would not be possible ! to replace these by married men directed out of a non-essential industry. In evidence Mr L. E. H. Baigent assured*the board that, as far as possible, this had already been done. From a survey made by compulsory registration of all men who had had any experience in timber milling and allied trades, some five men had been found and given work at his company’s mills, but of these five, three had not been physically able to stand the work. Sawmilling. he said, was a strenuous game, where men had to have a fairly fine standard of physical fitness and a certain degree of youthfulness to be employed. He regretted being placed in the position of having to lodge appeals for single, grade 1 men eligible for overseas service, but stated that he was only acting on instructions. Some time ago, he said, the Director of National Service had issued a statement that men employed in the timber trade were performing a service as esesntial as anything they could do in the Army. The chairman of the board stated that it had been instructed that only in exceptional circumstances were single men, eligible for overseas service, to be granted exemptions. The appeal in respect of the four grade 2 men was upheld and a sine die adjournment granted. In respect of the five grade 1 men the board adjourned the appeal for three months, by which time it was hoped that the authorities would have given I some more definite indication of their *

j intentions regarding single, grade 1 j men, holding key positions in essential i industries. : An appeal was lodged by the Director j of National Service in respect of F. S. ! Hodgson who was called up for ser- ’! vice in the Army office. Reservist was 1 u married man, aged 30, and had been i graded class 3. Evidence was given by T C John that reaerviat ! ployed in the unemployment and sick ! benefit branch of the Social Security ’ Department in Nelson, and was now the | only competent officer in the Nelson , I branch with the necessary qualification to carry out this branch of the wof^U

I Of the pre-war staff of 17 males andTjj*’ female. 8 of this original staff w«3m now overseas. The staff at present comprised 10 males, including 2 cadets, and 5 females. The work reservist was carrying out required specialised legal and general knowledge which could only be gained by at least 10 years experience. With the vastly increased number of people in the Army, Navy. Air Force, Home Guard, E.P.S. and other organisations covered by the War Pensions Act, the department would be in a chaotic condition if it was denuded of the staff required to deal with the increasing work when it came. Reservist was a member of the Emergency Fire Service. The appeal was opposed by the Army, represented by Lieut. R. March, who stated that reservist was required for

work in the Army office which entailed a fair clerical knowledge. It was very difficult to find suitable men to fill these positions and the Army office was at present seriously short-staffed.

The appeal was adjourned sine die. The Nelson Erick and Pottery Works lodged an appeal in respect of a former employee. B. A. McCallum, who was at present a trooper in the Independent Mounted Rifles. Reservist was a single man, grade 1. and liable for overseas service and the appeal w'as opposed by the Army. Giving evidence for appellants. Mr J. Neale stated that reservist had had 6 ->r 7 years experience at thj works before going into camp and it was very difficult to find men experienced in this class of work. The company was the only l rick and pottery works operating here and was verv short of staff. The appeal w’as dismissed. An appeal for release from camp of* * an employee, E. Jennens. was lodged by H. A. Cotton, a bus service proprietor, and was adjourned pending production of certain medical evidence. The board dismissed an appeal Baigent and Son Ltd., for release camp of a former employee. Fenemor, who w’as a single man. aged 20. grade J I and eligible fur service.