THE MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11649, 18 August 1916, Page 6

THE MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

ENROLMENT OF RESERVE. 1 Per Press Association. Dunedin. Ang. 17. The proclamation for the enrolment of the Expeditionary Force Reserve, as provided by the Miliary Service Act, will be gazetted in about a fortnight’s time. The Minister of Defence, the Hon. J. Allen, who is on a short visit to Dunedin, stated in reply to a question this morning that preparations for beginning enrolment were practically completed. It is intended to enrol both divisions of the Reserve without delay. If it be necessary to put the provisions of the Act into operation,jthe first division, consisting of all Reservists who, on the passing of the Act were unmarried men or married whose marriage took place subsequent to May Ist, 1915 — except such as have a child under lo years of age by a previous marriage—or widowers with no children under til years of age, or men whose marriage has been dissolved or who are judicially separated from their wives and who have no chidron under 16 years of age, will be called up first. It is expected that enrolment will be well advanced in the first fortnight of September. In the event of a shortage of recruits in any recruiting district, that district will have to be prepraed to accept compulsory enlistment. It is intended, however, to put into operation first the special provisions for the calling up 3f members ofm family which includes two or more brothers who belong to the first division of the Reserve and are not permanently unfit for military service. It is likely that the first of the Military A.ppeal Boards to he established under the Act will be a Board c,f Boards to deal with such family cases.

One phase of the question as regards compulsory enlistment constitute a difficult problem for the administrative authorities. This is the extent to which the State should go in the matter of rendering unfit men fit for military service. In cases whore operations are required it is .customary 7 to wait six mouths after the operation before calling the recruits up for training. It is scarcely likely that the Government would go further than insisting on very minor operations. This serious question is now.engaging the serious attention of the Government, and the Minister admits frankly that the problem is not going to be easy of solution. As regards recruits who under the voluntary system of recruiting, were rejected as unfit. It is very probable that farther examination will be necessary. Exception will likely be made in cases where reservists, as volunteers, were decreed to be hopelessly unfit tor military service.