MILITARY SERVICE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8, 30 April 1914, Page 4

MILITARY SERVICE.

Recently the local bodies of the country have been applied to by the Minister for Defence lor some suggestion as to bow conscientious objectors to military service might be provided with work of a non-military character, but similar in amount to what would bl done if the objectors had done their military service. Not many local bodies have very seriously considered the Minister's suggestion, but at Tuesday's meeting the Whangamomona County Council passed the following resolution: "That this Council, recommend that such objectors' names be furnished to the Council, who will provide road-work in back-country districts for same, subject to supervision by the Council's staif, this Council understanding that the Government would carry into effect further legislation making the enforcement of such scheme practicable." Councillors expressed the opinion that other Councils had adopted an attitude neither correct nor sensible in ridiculing the Minister's scheme and declining to seriously consider steps to help the Minister. The scheme was unanimously endorsed, but the opinion was evpressed that to make the scheme workable, it would be necessary to devise a method'of punishment for unsatisfactory work, as would bo done in the case of military service; and if such punishments were provided the Council was prepared to see to their enforcement.