POLICE AND ENLISTMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1915, Page 8

POLICE AND ENLISTMENT.

CIVIL SERVANTS' RECORD. By Telegraph.—'Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Minister of Internal Affairs laid on the table a return showing that of the civil servants under the control of the Public Service Commissioners 1)88 have volunteered and been accepted for the front. Of civil servants in the railway service 1420 had volunteered and been accepted. From the first it was announced that members of the police force would not be allowed to enlist, and consequently very few from that branch of the Public Service appeared on the list. Some, however, had resigned and gone on active service.

The Prime Minister said that so far as he could see about 33.30 per cent. of those between the ages of 20 and 40 under control of the Commissioners had enlisted, and about 43.08 per cent, of those in the railway service. This j spoke volumes for the patriotism of | our civil servants, and showed thatf there were no shirkers amongst them, He had no doubt the young men of the country would come forward and volunteer as readily as they are needed. Messrs G. J. Anderson, W. A, Veitch, and C. J. Poole urged that the embargo placed on enlistment of members of the police force should be removed, as it was unfair to members of the force. Hon. A. L. Herdman said that if men were allowed to leavee the force in large numbers he would not be responsible for the safety of the country.