MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11649, 18 August 1916, Page 8

MILITARY SERVICE ACT.

) " i mi ———nggjP— ti ■■ ■■ FIRST and second divisions. Per Press Association. Wellington, August 18. The Military [Service Act provides for both civil-and military processes and in the circumstances Cabinet has deemed it desirable that there should be a uniform controlling authority. The administration of the Act, therefore, so far as it concerns all matters iu respect to. which the Statute dees not give a sped lie direction, has been placed under the control of the Recruiting Board. 1 have now to announce that it has been decided to procl-nurthe enrolment of the first division of the Expeditionary Force Reserve on Friday, Ist September, 1916, and of the second division on the clay following, namely, Saturday, the 2nd September, 191 C. • In the case of each division a period of fourteen days hereafter is allowed by the Act to all men of military age (not less than 20 and under 40 years of age), who have not registered under the National Registration Act to enrol under the Military Service Act or to men who have changed their place of abode since registration to notify their new address. - It has been found necessary to proclaim the enrolment of both divisions of the Reserve simultaneously in order to protect the men in the second division. The Act empowers any constable after the enrolment of the first division has been proclaimed to question any man fwho may reasonably be supposed to be of military age and to detain him if be is not satisfied with his answers. The Act also forbids any employer to employ a reservist who is not enrolled for (he . protection of reservists. Certificates of enrolment will be issued on application to every man who is enrolled and the production of this certificate will be a sufficient answer to any constable and also sufficient proof to any employer of enrolment, but this certificate cannot be issued to a man who belongs to the 2nd division until the enrolment of that division is proclaimed, hence the necessity to proclaim both divisions so that every man of military age may receive this evidence ofghis enrolment. It should be distinctly understood that while the compulsory provision of the act will not be applied to the second division of the reserve until the first division is exhausted that tact does not relieve any man of military age in either division of his obligation with respect to enrolment or notifying any change of address. The first division consists of re‘servists who are unmarried men or married men whose marriage took place since Ist May, 1915, unless they have a child under 16 years of age by a previous marriage, or widowers with no children under 16, or men who are divorced or judicially separated from their wives and who have no children* under 16 years of age, and the second division consists ot all ofhsr reservists. During this enrolment period the widest publicity will be given'“'to the obligations imposed by the Act on reservists and employers by means of advertisement in all newspapers, and by posters, placards and lantern slides conspicuously displaced from end to end of the Dominion. The display of these poscers, placards and slides will be made compulsory as a war necessity by regulations to he issued under the War Regulations Act. The Board also intends to issue a statement clearly setting forth the propositions of the Act with respect to the duties of reservists and of employers and the penalties they will incur it they neglect or refuse to discharge these duties, Every man of military age should make it bia particular business to carefully read this statement as well as the advertisements or pesters and placards which will appear on Friday, the Ist September next, and subsequently during the enrolment period. The Act has two mam functions — (a) The enrolment of the reserve, and (b) The catling up of the reserve. It is proposed to enrol the reserve within the period stated, but there will be no calling up under the Act so long as voluntary recruiting .produces the number of men required for each reinforcement draft. W. F. MASSEY. Chairman.