NATIONAL DEFENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 123, 11 October 1912, Page 4

NATIONAL DEFENCE.

A LARGE AMEX DIXG BILL.

.MILITARY TRAIXIXG

STIUXCENT ATTACILMKXT ORDERS.

By Telegraph—Own Correspondent. | Wellington. Last Night. A Bill of fifty-six sections amending the Defence Act was introduced by Governor's .Message late last night, and read a first time. Important alterations are proposed, especially in relation to military custody, attachment orders, conscientious objectors and deprivation of civil rights. In the case, of certain offenders imprisonment is ■ commuted. Persons who fail to pay lines under the principal Act may he committed by a magistrate or justice of the peace to military custody for a period not exceeding twenty-eight days, and the Commandant of the defence forces is empowered to discharge any persons so detained. Also, such a person may be .released temporarily for any period not exceeding fortyeight hours at any one time, to follow his usual occupation or for other just or necessary purpose, and this time off is to count as part of the period of detention. Every person who escapes from custody is liable to be sentenced to a further term of twent.v-ekflit days. Persons in custody are to be subject to military training, discipline and duties, at the discretion of the Commandant, and refusal to obey will make the offender liable to an extra term of twenty-eight days on conviction In- a magistrate. The fact of arrest in respect of default in the payment of a fine or costs discharges the liability, but payment of the money may reduce the term of detention at the discretion of t.he Commandant. This part of the Bill concludes with section 10: "Nothing in this Act shall be so construed as to prevent any fine from being recovered or enforced* in any manner which would have been competent or lawful if wan not in force." A LIEN OX WAGES. '

Section 11 enables the authorities to take toll of the wages of recalcitrants thus: "When any person is convicted after the commencement of. this Act of any offence against the Principal Act or any amendment thereof, or against any regulation made thereunder (whether snob offence is committed before or after commencement of this Act) and is sentenced to pay a fine, the convicting magistrate or justice, or any other magistrate may, at the same 'or any subsequent time, and from time to time, on the application of any person, make an attachment or order 'in pursuance of this section.' An amendment is placed on employers to make the payments ordered by the Court, and the charge created by the attachment order is to prevail over any assignment made or charge created by the o<r-„i pr . Section 27 of the Wages, Protection and Contractors' Liens Act, 1908, is to have no application to an attachment.

Tinier the Defence Act the definition of defence force is'widened by including the permanent staff and certain other officers not previously included are brought within the scope of the Act, The term military orders is made to embrace orders issued by the Commandant.

Tn regard to the training the definition of school is confined to institutions under the contract of an education board, but in the case of district high schools includes the primary department of such school only.

'Section 13 gives the Governor nower to make regulations in regard to Wie organisation, etc., of the senior cadets, the preficribing of fines not exceeding £lO for breaches of the regulations by the different branches of the force.'and emnowerin.o- officers of the force to impose fines not exceeding £2 for breaches of regulations. THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.

The former oatli of allegiance under the Act is repealed, and it is now provided that "Every person on becoming a member of the senior cadets or the defence forces, or as soon thereafter as may be. shall take the oath of allegiance before,a Justice of the Peace or a, prescribed officer in the following form:—"I; do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to our Sovereign Lord the King. His heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully serve in the New Zealand military forces according to my liability under the Defence Act, and that r will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, his 'heirs and successors, and of the generals and officers set over me until I shall be lawfully discharged, so help me God."

. The constitution of the force is now limited to thirty thousand men, or such smaller number of men as the Governor may from time to time deem sufficient."

Section IS of the Bill provides that e.\ery member of the Territorial force who became such by virtue of section 20 of the principal Act (relating to the volunteer force), and who had attained the aire of twenty-one years before November 2, 10J0, 'shall be entitled on application made by him at any time to the Commandant of the defence forces to be transferred from the Territorial force to the reserve. Every member of the Territorial force who became, on the commencement of the principal Act, or has since become, liable to be trained in the general training section shall be deemed to have been lawfully transferred from the general training' section to the Territorial forces, within the meaning and for the purposes of the principal Act and its amendments. Junior cadets and scouts are to be removed from the military training scheme.

FATLTNO TO RECTSTER. The punishment for failing to register or for neglect to render personal service is at present a fine not exceeding £5, and disqualification from enrolment as an elector. _ The Bill proposes that in the ease of either of these offences the convicting Court may. in addition to imposing a fine up to the present maximum, deprive the offender of civil rights for any period not exceeding ten years. The deprivation of civil rights will include disqualification for appointments to the public service, erasure of the offender's name from any electoral roll in Which it appears, and disqualification for registration on anv electoral roll. The offender will still be under obligation to render personal service. Employers are prohibited from preventing any person from registering or taking the oath of allegiance. They are already compelled to permit their employees to render the personal service required by the Act.

EXEMPTION' CLAUSE. The present exemption from military service on (lie ground of .religious belief is to be replaced by the following provisions .••-''On the application of any person a magistrate may grant to the applicant a certificate of'exemption from military training and service if. the magistrate is satisfied that the applicant objects in good faith to such training and service, on the ground that it is contrary to the doctrines of his religion. So long as any such certificate of exemption remains in force the holder thereof shall be exempt from the obligations of military training and service imposed by the principal Act. but shall be liable to perform in lien thereof such non-mili-tary service* as the Oovernor-in-Council may from time to time prescriho equivalent thereto. Failure to perform non-military servjee will be punishable by a fine and lo=s of civil rights. Holders of exemptions will he required to register.

The statutory enactments and regulations made under them are to be brought into harmony by the following provisions:—"No regulation made under the principal Act or under any amendment thereof, creating any offence or imposing

any penalty thereof, shall be invalid merely because Hie said offence is otherwise punishable under the principal Act, or under any other Act." Power is given to the Governor to exempt from training nil persons residing in areas specified by Orders-in-Council. The Territorial force or any part of it is required to be called out for activo service in New Zealand at any time by Governor's proclamation. Default to pay a fine imposed by an officer of th» ' forces is punishable by a- fine not exceeding £3. All property and liabilities of the volunteer force are to be transferred to the Crown. The Governor is empowered to appoint a board of management to control any such property vested in the Crown.