FARMER RESERVISTS.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 October 1917, Page 2

FARMER RESERVISTS.

GOVERNMENT'S NEW POLICY. HAWEBA, Oct. 16. At the sitting of the First Wellington Military Service Board, Mr. B. D. Welsh solicitor, asked for leave to refer to a newspaper report that a memorandum had been addressed to the Mill* ’ tary Service Boards by the Recruiting Board with reference to a depletion of skilled farm workers and the policy to be followed. The announcement in the press had conic as a surprise and, perhaps, in duo course the board might make some pronouncement as to the pm if ion,, so that counsel would be able to advise their clients. 'flic chairman, Mr D. G. ’A. Cooper, said the board had road the report referred to. For his part, he thought it must be wrong, because he 1 did not think the Government would endeavour to belittle boards and interfere with their authority as judicial bodies. The j military service boards were judicial bc-.A-s, whose functions were distinctly ! defined by the Military Service Act. The present beard, with other boards, had done ik- duty to the best of its ability, and sometimes under very dis- , trussing circumstances The Board had sometimes zo give a decision which it had felt very keenly. He hoped those who had appeared before the board had accepted the board’s decisions, feeling that it had done its best. He did not wish to add anything further, because ho thought the newspaper statements must be a mistake. The board had received no communication whatever from the Recruiting Board, and naturally it would expect to receive any communication from the Recruiting Board before it appeared in the press. Captain Walker said that as military representative he had received no notice of the memorandum. As representing the Crown, he thought he would have received a copy before it was published in the papers. Mr. D. McLaren concurred in the chairman’s remarks. He had at times met with individuals who had suggested that the board was told what to do.. That was not so, and never had been so. The board had ‘always given its decisions impartially. It was quite proper for the Government to make any pronouncement of policy that related to public Interest, but before any statement _ was published in the press it should first be sent to the board or bodies concerned. Mr. G. Williams also concurred with what had boon said by his fellowmembers. There had boon, he said, a conference of boards at Wellington, recently, when the Ministers made highly complimentary references to the manner in which the various boards 1 're carrying out their work, and thanked them cordially for it. It seemed to him, if the statement as reported was correct, it would place the boards in a most extraordinary position.