C2 MEN IN TRAINING

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9792, 16 October 1917, Page 5

C2 MEN IN TRAINING

GO PER CENT LIKELY TO BECOME FIT. STATEMENT BY DEFENCE MINISTER, Mr R. McCallum, M.P. for Wairau, asked tile Defence Minister in the blouse of Representatives yesterday whether ho would take into immediate consideration the urgent necessity existing for his arranging a conference with tho Military Service Boards and requesting them l to exercise greater discretion over the OI class in view of wastage of man-power within the Dominion caused hy the calling up of many married men who will never he sent to the front and are now only wasting their time In camp. Sir Jamos Allen replied that there had been a very careful examination of tho C2 men by a special medical hoard. Some of them had been selected to go Into camp to see if they could;be made fit for active service. He had had an opportunity </. seeing an officer who bad come from England recently for special training purposes, and that officer had told him that ho would expoet that not less than 60 per cent, of those men were likely to become lit for service at the front. (Hear, hear.) The department could not afford 'to lose that 60 per cent, now' that they were about to call up the" Second Division. He did not understand what married men tho hen. member had referred to.

Mr McCallum; “They come under the unfortunate marriage clause.” Sir James Allen; “I don’t think that there is very much reason now to continue that marriage clause. I have been 100 busy to consider it recently, but will look into it. (Hear, hear.) [The “marriage clause” referred to is the clause in the Military Service Act, which puts in the First Division of the Reserve all men married since May, 1916.)