MILITARY SERVICE.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 14 June 1917, Page 5

MILITARY SERVICE.

VOLXJSjeABY ENLISTMENT TO BE

DISCONTINUED.

WELLINGTON, June 13

*. ' The Recruiting Board at its meeting yesterday decided that voluntary enof Keservists of the First Division of the Expeditionary Forces Reserve is not to he continued after Saturday, the 23rd June, when recruiting for the. 33rd Eeinforcements closes. The present position is that voluntary recruiting is now open for the 33rd and 34th Eeinforcements which are due to mobilise for training in August and September respectively. This means that a member of the First Division who. now volunteers for the 34th draft is not due to parade for camp until September. In view of the near exhaustion of the First Division of the Eeserve it is necessary to prohibit further voluntary enlisting of Keservists of that Division, as otherwise they would be able to postpone the date when they would be due to proceed to camp until after the commencement of the ballots for Second Division Keservists. Exception will be made, however, in the case of youths who are not approaching their 20th birthday, which is the.Aege at which they become liable for compulsory military service. A youth who desires to voluntary enlist on reaching military age will be permitted to do so (in the month in which he reaches that age, and he will then be required to go into camp with the first draft leaving his group one' month thereafter. Voluntary recruiting will still be open, of course, to members of the Second Division of the Eeserve.

J. ALLEN,

Chairman of Eec,ruiting Board

THE SECOND DIVISION. THE AMENDED CLASSIFICATION. WELLINGTON, June 12. The amended classification of the Second Division of the Expeditionary Force Reserve, which had been under consideration by the Recruiting Board, was approved by the Cabinet to-da}', After the meeting Sir James Allen said that under the amended classification the Second Division will consist of six ,\ classes, and age will not be a factor in '.the classification. The classes are as follows: — (a) Men between the age of 20 and 46 years, who have no children. (b) Men -who 'have one child. (c) Men who have two children. (d) Men who have three children. (e) Men who have four children. (f) Men who have more than four

children

"I want to say, in Tegard to the question of dependents," said the Minister, "that it is not practicable in classifying the Second Division to take into account .'dependents fotkdr than wives and children, because the Government Statistician has no particulars as to the number of dependents of reservists, and it would not be possible to get this information without a great deal of inquiry:, but those who have dependents other than wife and children have ample protection, because they have the right of appeal to the Military Service Board on account of undue hardship, and this is one of the reasons why the Military Service Boards weTe established. I also desire to say, in regard to men of 43, 44, and 45 years of age, that In all .probability we shall have to make arrangements to allot them to the Home Service branch, because it has been found that if they have come to the age of 45 years when they have reached England, they are not sent forward to the front in France It has been found by experience that these men do not stand the strain of campaigning like the men of less age.''

% MARRIED MEN'S CALL.

FIRST IN SEPTEMBER,

TWO BALLOT IN EACH CLASS

WELLTNTON., June 12. Inquiries made by the "Evening Post" show that the number of men in the different classes into which the Second Division has been divided, according to Cabinet's decision yesterday will be as follows: Class I. (men without children), 15,000. Class 11. (men with one child), 15,000 to 20,000. Classes HI., IV., and V., each 15,000 to 20,000. Class VI. (men with five or more children), no estimate available. It is calculated that each class will contain enough for two ballots. The first call in the Second Division will probably be made in September. I