THE ONCE REJECTED.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 April 1916, Page 8

THE ONCE REJECTED.

i .NECESSITY FOR .MEDICAL REEXAMINATION*. The following letter has been sent by I.oi(l Derby to a correspondent:— Dear Sir, —I beg to acknowledge your letter of January 27. There are good reasons for recruiting authorities insisting that men already rejected as medically unfit should in certain cases have to undergo a further medical examination before receiving an armlet. The /acts of « the matter are as follows:, (1) Many men slipped through during the recent rush, and it would be unfair that men who are not entitled should wear an armlet on the strength of a medical certificate obtained without adequate examination. (2) Again, cases are known where a man suffering from some permanent physical disability obtained a medical Rejection paper and then went to various recruiting offices and obtained further rejection papere, giving names' of friends, to whom he sold the rejection papers. This practice was stopped by having the registration card stamped by the recruiting officer, but there are a certain number of bogus rejection papers in existence. ' (3) A further reason is that the standard having been considerably lowered recently for certain branches of the Army, many men who were formerly rejected are now required; men who are physically fit can be released from clerical duties and replaced by men only fit for sedentary occupations. For example. a man with a cork leg wonld be quite unfit for active service, but, if he lie a trained and experienced clerk, might be very useful in a pay department, and could release a more active man for foreign service. | As far as possible every man should | apply at the recruiting office at which j he was previously rejected, where the rej cord of his previous .'ejection will be | kept. Where the cause- of a man's rc- | jer-tion is some serious (organic disease (other than eyesight) and this has been noted, further medical examination will be unnecessary. The following is an extract from the Army Order on the a,'>ove subject: It will be necessary for all men who ij."Ve already been rejected on medical gravida to be medically examined again unless they can produce Army Form B A or Army Form 2.i12 A, i showing date and cause i>f rejection, j These forms wilt be verified bv reference to Army Rook "OH at the place shown on the forms." I am to add that in no case will an armlet be. issued to men who are obviously unfit for service .n the Army, e.g., to men who are totally blind, crippled, paralytic, etc. —Western Weekly Mer- , cury, February 5.