The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1916. THE BALLOT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 91, 14 November 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1916. THE BALLOT.

The ballot to fill up shortages in the Reinforcements will be taken to-mor-row for the first time in the country’s

history, but evidently with the great

body of public opinion behind it. Certainly the voluntary system has served a useful purpose, but it has apparently failed to maintain the regularity of the flow of recruits required. No system can be perfect but

it is reasonably claimed that the ballot will, to a largo / extent, remedy the great defect of the voluntary system which was in its unfairness in

allowing some to make all sacrifices while others equally able to enlist, and even possibly with less responsibility and less sacrifice to

make to avoid an obvious duty. Discussing the coming change the Wellington Post remarks that the ballot will make no distinctions and says it is therefore all the more necessary that no distinctions should be made between the men who go under the ballot and the volunteer. There arc many of those men who, with sound reasoning, have preferred not to volunteer solely with the object of forcing what they regard as the only fair method—the ballot; there <lio still more who have preferred to wait until notified by the State that their : services are required and it is their turn to go; there are also many more ■who could not see their way clor.r before because of financial obligations and having to support dependents. The same writer also points out that the men in these classes must still number many thousands - men who have notified the State under tl*> National Registration Act that they were prepared to go d required. Now they are rcqnhcd, and under the ballot they will 'waive their notification. In sm 'h oircum- ! stances it would obviously 1m unfair 1 and unjust to emphasise the distmc- • turn between volunteers and the men who will probably i" future be compulsorily enrolled to fight for t».oir ( country.