POLITICAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 41, 11 October 1912, Page 5

POLITICAL.

THE DEFENCE ACT AMENDING BILL. The Defence Amendment Bill, introduced by Governor’s Message in the House of Representatives on Wednesday night, contains 56 clauses, and makes some important alterations m the existing law. Clause 2 provides that every person who refuses to take the oath of allegiance, refuses to register, or who, being a member of any other defence forces, is convicted of any other offence against the principal Act, or any amendment thereof or regulations made thereunder, may if lie makes default in the payment of any line or costs imposed by a Magistrate or Justice, bo committed to military custody for a term not exceeding 28 days. On the issue of any such warrant cf military custody any constable may arrest the offender, who will be detained in the custody of officers of the defence forces at places appointed from time to time. The commandant _is given power to discharge from military custody any person so detained. The detention of an offender in military custody need not be continuous, but the offender may lie released temporarily in order to allow him to follow his usual occupation or for just and necessary purposes. The period of any temporary release shall in no case raced 48 hours at any one time. Any person who escapes from military custody or refuses to' submit to or perform such military training, discipline or duties or to render obedience to any orders, or is guilty of insolent, disorderly or insubordinate conduct, shall be guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction before a Magistrate, aiid may lie sentenced to a further term of military custody for a period not exceeding 28 days. Every person arrested under a warrant of military custody in respect of default to the payment of a fine or costs shall he discharged from liability to 'pay such fine or costs, but the commandant may require the amount to lie paid when exercising his powers of dis charge. ATTACHMENT ORDERS.

In regard to the imposition of fines, provision is made for the .Magistrate to make an attachment order agamst the employer of the offender. This may ho made ex parte without notice to the offender or employer, and may declare that the fine shall by way of weekly payments lie a charge on the salary or wages due and payable by. the employer to the offender. Section 27 of the'Wages Protection and Contractors’ Liens Act shall have no an plication to any attachment -under this section. OATH OF ALLEGIANCE. Every person on becoming a member of tbp senior cadets or the defonc forces shall take the oath of all 'g'uuic before a Justice of the Peace or a prescribed officer in the following form, or to the like effect; —“I, A. 8.. do sincerely promise and swear that I will lie faithful and bear true allegiance to our Sovereign Lord the King his -heirs and successors, and that i will faithfully servo in the New Zealand military forces, according to m> liability under the Defence Act, and that I will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, his heirs and successors, and of the generals and offronset over me, until I shall bo lawfully discharged.! So help mo God. -5 - ■ RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS. Section,92 of the main Act, dealing with..exemption on the ground: of ro| ligious objections, is repealed, ami noit. clauses' iproHde that Magistrates may grant certificates of exemption if the applicant objects on religions grounds, though he. ( is, required to perform] nonmilitary service as the Govern on-in,-Council may prescribe. Objectors must register. The Governor may exempt persons residing in specified areas from training, and may vai-y siTCll has. The territorial force may he called out for active service in New Zealand. Offenders must pay within fourteen days the fines imposed on them by the i officers; in default, he liable to a penalty up to £5, This-’repeals clause 14 (recovery of fines for breach cf regulations) in the Amendment ■' Act oi 1910. The sections in the 1908 Act relating to-the volunteer force, are repealed. All property and liabilities ol the volunteer force are transferred tc the Crown, this applying bo drill shed; rifle ranges, lands, etc. These may he sold by the Governor, the proceeds to !>e expended in land or buildings for the territorials. Provision is made for the retrospective operation of amendments-to the principal Act. Enrolment, drafting, oi transfer into the senior cadets, general training section, territorial force, or reserve, shall be effected by the Commandant in such manner as he thinks fit, and transfers, etc., already madd are not to he invalidated by detects or procedure. MISCELLANEOUS.

The clauses in the principal Act relating to the training pf junior cadets are repealed, junior cadets, or boys under fourteen years of ago, not being compelled to serve. No member of the territorial force shall ho capable of becoming or remaining a member of a defence rifle club. . . , Section 44 of the principal Act (training with rifle clubs may be accepted in certain cases) is repealed. Failure to make application for registration shall constitute a continuing offence. . Any person convicted of an offence is liable to be deprived of civic right:, for any period not exceeding ten years, and during the period of deprivation be incapable of being appointed to any office or employment in the public service, and shall not ho entitled to remain on any electoral roll. Employers are liable to a fine of £lO for preventing any person in his service from registering or serving.—“N.Z. Times.” DRILL IN DAIRYING DISTRICTS. The Minister of Defence, reply i ig to a question by Mr Wilkinson (Egmont) whether lie will consider the advisable■less of issuing instructions so that drill instructors may ho sent into country districts to a greater extent than ai present. The Minister pointed out that the number of visits that an instructor can make to the country districts depends on the number of drill centres, and the number of instructors available in the Taranaki district. There are some seventy drill centres, and at present, with the number of instructors available, it is only possible to visit the country drill centres once a fortnight. The Senior Cadets are therefore not able to carry out the full number of parades laid down in the regulations, which is fifty drills and six half-day parades. An extra instructor has already been drawn from another group to relieve the pressure, but more than that ennno he done at present. The area group of ficer is being communicated with to see what arrangements can ho made for holding parades during the daytime instead of at night. It must be remembered, adds Mr All n, that what may suit the dairy farmers may not suit the others, and it is very difficult to make arrangements to suit everyone. Arrangements have already been made for the Territorials in dairy districts to drill during the middle of the day, to suit their convenience, says a Hawera ‘Star’ correspondent.