New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 27, 6 May 1916, Page 3

New Zealand

ENLISTMENT OF MARRIED MEN, IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE RECRUITING BOARD. Per P ress Association. 1 Wellington, May 5. An important statement regarding the enlistment of married men and payment of separation allowances has | been made by the Recruiting Board m a letter addressed to the chairman of the Wellington War Relief Association. The Board states definitely that it does not wish to encourage the enlistment at present of men with heavy family responsibilities, and indicates / that steps are being taken to cheek the entry of such men into the training camps. The secretary of the Board states, with reference to the allowance of 3s Gd per week paid with resnoet" to each jthild of men who enlist in the expeditionary force: “Your association appears to me to be under a misapprehension with respect to the policy of the Recruiting Board in limiting 'the number of children to whom this allowance will be paid. The Board, in deciding that the number should not he increased beyond live, was not. aetu- j a ted by any parsimonious or cheese- j paring ideal but fixed the limit wholly and solely so that men with large families should not 'be ' encouraged to enlist. The''Defence Department has had to contend with shell a large number of applications for discharge for this reason, usually a fortnight or -a week before'the embarkation of each, reinforcement, that steps are how being: taken to ' inquire 'into the oitenmstanoes ojf men who offer "themselves for sprvice, in all cask" whore there-is reason to believe that ’a man’s family responsibilities are'such as to make it inadvisable to enlist him Hinder 'The voluntary system of 1 enlistment.- The i Recruiting Board thinks'it safe To-as-sume that a married man with, family responsibilities who enlists, d lie [knows what he is doing and is in a position to make adequate financial provision for bis dependents, in such 'case the Board.sws im roasou why be j should not enlistr "' With respect to • the! question of children’s allowance to non-commissioned officers and men of the' New; Zealand Force who are pormh'nently •■attached to .Nqw Zealand camps. Cabinet lias decided to grant allowance "in the of fill men who are resident .in training camps," in internment .camps, ..and, at”the forts. The allowance''will not, he paid with respect to of men who reside, at home.

THE REINFORCEMENTS. The following men.Jfcave been passed as medically tit anil passed for the Reinforcements: — j. J. Reynolds, Stratford, Infantry. W." Mitchell, Puqiwhakau, Infantry. IV. Hartigan, Mklhirst, Infantry. F. Treves, Midhirst, Infantry. J. G. Treves, Midhirst, Infantry. W. Hughes, Midhirst, Infantry.