MILITARY SERVICE.

Taihape Daily Times, 7 June 1918, Page 5

MILITARY SERVICE.

CLASS C BALLOT MONDAY, WELLINGTON, June 7. The Government Statistician is steadily balloting through the roll of married reservists, and on Monday he will proceed to select ten thousand Class C (married men with tw;o children) whose names will be gazetted about a week later. This class is the most numerous of the Second Division, totally 27,000, and it is expected that with the usual accretions of single men, it will last over three ballots, and cover the requirements of three months. Then the Dominion will be within easy reach of the end of its ; nian-pdwer resources, unless there is a further extension.:-of the military age, for at less thar|ithe present rate of balloting the Reserve will become exhausted before the end of the year. As the position stands at present, the military authorities are hoping to get sufficient ships to clear up the camps by September, when the Class ' B men will begin to come in in good force. General reports on the results of the medical examination show that these men have a fairly high rate of physical fitness. There has been an evident misunderstanding at Blenheim regarding the date of concentrating for men examined at the end of last week. They do not go into camp in July, as was reported," but on September 11th. The system adopted is to allow at least twelve weeks from the medical examination. Sometimes a» batch of men, late in being examined, will just miss the concentration of three months' hence and they get nearly four months' respite. This explains why many Class B men called in the first ballot go into camp at the same time as other Class B men not selected until a month later. It is their good luck and not anything unfair to the second batch, who get their full three months. The Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board is now being faced with weighty problems affecting reservists who have earned high salaries. They are being helped in meeting these cases by the recent decision of Cabinet that a cash grant may be paid to meet exceptional cases, in addition to the maximum of £156 per anuum allowance permitted by Regulation. Of • course, there are cases where men have been earning -so large an income that nothing the State can do within these limits will bridge the gap. Then there remains the Military Service Board, which can be appealed to on the ground of undue hardship. DIVISION LEAGUE. WELLINGTON, June 6. At a meeting of the National. Executive '"''Of the Second Dmsion League, held this-evening, the policy of the Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board was fully discussed, when it was decided, in view of the fact that a minimum net income of 90 for "wife only," approved by the Government as the Board's policy, is not sufficient income having regard to the high cost of living, the League regrets that, after consultation with its representatives, it is reluctantly compelled to withdraw from representation on the Board, as it cannot accept responsibility for being officially identified with an institution which, hampered by the present policy, in effect is militating against the League's just cause of securing adequate living conditions and reasonable comfort for wives and children and other dependentsTof our soldiers?-