THE "FAMILY SHIRKER."

Taranaki Daily News, 26 October 1916, Page 5

THE "FAMILY SHIRKER."

NOTICES BEING DISTBIBOTEIX , (From Our Own Correspondent.)' Wellington, Oct. 24. Arrangements for the operation, of clause 35 of the Military Service Act, ,dealing with- the "family shirker," are> now'complete, and. notices are now'being issued to men who are believed toy Defence headquarters to come within. the seopo of the clause. The list ha& been checked very carefully by the Defence officers, with the assistance* of recruiting bodies and the police, and many men whoso names have been submitted to the Recruiting Board have been found tu be outside the clause, since they havß already volunteered or are ineligible lor some other reason. But more than 1000 men, scattered all over New Zealand, are to be served with notices requiring them to present theinseftes before the . Military Hoards and show cause, if they can, why they should not be taken into camp. , The men who are affected toy clause 35 have had ample notice of tsv«ir liability fon service, and there is still time for them to avoid being conscripted by coming forward as volunteers. The Act states that if there are in ft ' family two or more sons who are members of the First Division (unmarried, widowers without children, or married since May, 1015), then these sons ave ■ liable for service as members of the , Expeditionary Force. The object of the clause is to secure equality of sacrifice as between families. A family can put itself outside- the clause by providing its share of volunteers, or by showing that members have already offered their services to the country and have been rejected. Tailing that, all the, sons will be summoned before the' Board, though it is unlikely they will all be required, to serve. j