MILITARY SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1916, Page 2

MILITARY SERVICE.

AI.TEAU BOARD'S SITTING 1.1

NORTH taranaki cases.

The Military Service Board held a sitting in New Plymouth yesterday, when four out of the five- appeals set down for hearing ufre dealt' with. Mr. D. «. A. Cooper. S.M., presided, and associated with him were Messrs. W. Perry and D. McLaren. Captain Orr Walker acted as counsel for the Defence Department. .■ NO APPEARANCE. The first ease called was that pf Louis Shrider, farmer, of Inglewood, who appealed against being called up on the grounds of undue hardship and religious objection. The appellant did not. appear, and as it was stated lie would probably be present at the, Board's sitting at Hawera, the case, was stood down. FARM MANAGER'S APPEAL. Harold Smith, farm, manager, Pungarehu (Mr. A. A. Bennett), instructed by Messrs. Roy and Xicholson) 1 appealed. on the ground of undue hardship. Counsel said Ilia client was just 20 years of age, and managed a farm of .I<i4 acres'at Pungarehu for-his mother. His step-father had gone- to the froiit, leaving appellant and-a family of nine children of ages ranging from 18 to 5 to manage the farm and milk 80 eows. Efforts had been made to obtain assistance without success. Mrs. Layman, the appellant's mother, was entirely dependent upon the proceeds of the farm and hot husband's pay. Appellant gave evidence in support of counsel's statement, and added that there was no chance of gcttina outsidfe assistance. Personally he had no objection to going into camp, but he appealed in the interests of his mother. TJhc family on the farm consisted of ! eight children besides himself. There Was a boy of 17 who was not strong. The children did the milking, and He assisted in this and for the rest of the day was engaged in ploughing, weeding, and other work on the farm. He was kepi going until past seven every evening.

la answer to Captain Walker, appellant said that he had asked .various men if they would take up work on the farm, but he had been unable to. obtain assistance. He had not advertised, and lie did not regard the men who had advertised for positions as suitable. Appellant said his mother handled most of the money and ho was not quite sure of the financial position in connection with the farm. To Mr. Bennett: If there was labor available. in the district, appellant would have heard of it. No general farjn hand had advertised for a position since ha had beep called up. To Mr. McLaren: He knew there were labor agencies, a Government labor bureau, and a returned soldiers' employment bureau, but he had never applied to any of these for assitancc.

Lucy Rigg Layman, wife of Henry Layman, a member of the 'Expeditionary Force, said she owned the freehold farm in question, which was valued at about £4001). Her husband was 35, and when he went away he said lie was a stronger man than his stepson. He was content to go, provided the boy remained behind and managed the farm. Witness gave particulars concerning the financial position of the property which she said wa3 heavily mortgaged. The farm was worked by the children. In the absence of the appellant, she dul not think she could carry on the farm. * A man unfit for the front could not do Die work required, and she considered a strong man should be at. the front. She did not like the idea of employing a, stranger because her husband would not like it. The farm paid as worked at present, but she doubted whether it would do so if she had to employ a man. To. Mr. Bennett: Her husband was of a jealous disposition, and she knew he would not like a stranger to come, on the place. After paying everything she owed, she made about £2OO per year on the farm. She received £2 3s !)d from her husband.

To Captain .Walker: The truth was that she did not want a stranger about the place. Harold was her only protecor and she did not wish him to go. Married couple assistants were entirely unsatisfactory. She had had previous experience oi them. She. had given her husband and she did not see why her boy should go. Captain Walker: Many families have given- all their sons.. ; Witness: How about the many families in the district who have sent no sons at all, people who are '"well in," too. Captain Walker: Their turn is coming, Mrs. Layman, never fear. The appeal was dismissed, and the appellant was granted exemption until January.3l, 11)17, provided he remained at his present occupation during that period. TEMPORARY EXEMPTION. • Temporary exemption was asked for by Harland Lewis Taylor, a farmer, of Urenui (Mr. Bennett). Counsel explained that appellant, who was just 20, had a farm of 1203 acres of Crown leasehold, 10 miles from Urenui. Of this area, 350 acres were in grass and the balance was in standing bush. The land was carrying 700 sheep, and these were required to be shorn and dipped. About 300 lambs had also to come in. As soon as this work was done appellant was prepared to go into camp. Appellant said he would not have appealed at all, but the notice had been received at an awkward time. His father had just been operated on for appendicitis, and (here was a great deal of work to do oil the farm.

No objection was raised to the application for time. The appeal was dismissed. Captain Walker undertaking to obtain leave without pay until February 28, provided appellant remained at his present occupation. DAIRYING INDUSTRY AFFECTED. "This appeal arises out of the exigencies of the dairying industry," said Mr. A 11. Johnstone, in opening his address oil behalf of Hubert John Petph, buttermilker, of Inglewdod, who appealed on the ground that it was detrimental to the country's interests to send him to camp. Counsel also represented the Moa Farmers' Co-operative Company, at whose factory appellant is employed. Proceeding, Mr. Johnstone said the dairy factories provided one of the chief supplies of the Army's food. The appellant had been doing the butter-mak-ing at the factory with the assistance of two inexperienced youths. He had had eleven years' experience, and was regarded as an expert, and during the six ■years he had been at the Moa factory not more, than 40 or 50 boxes of the Company's butter had been returned as .econd erade. Counsel stressed the

point tlwt a man employed in the but-ter-making department must know his work thoroughly. There wore no schools from which butter-makers. couljl be drawn, and as there bad been no restriction under the volunteering system, it bad become exceedingly di/licuß to get competent men,' Companies eoukl only get men by offering higher wages and taking them from other companies. If the (.'ovM-nment had organised the industrial side of the country as well as it had done the military side, Mr. Johnstone ventured (he opinion that dairying men would be prevented from enlisting. If he proceeded to the front, the appellant would provide one bayonet. By remaining here, he was making sufficient butter to supply 10,000 men daily. If the Board could not see its way to grant exemption, counsel asked that the ealling-up of appellant bo deferred until winter.

The appellant gave evidence substantiating counsel's statements. He said he had married since May 1, 1015, and bad one child. Mr. Ross, the manager of the factory, was also an expert butter-mak-er. Captain Walker: It is not possible for the manager to do the butter-making? Appellant : His time is fully occupied in supervising, to.-iing and other mana/renal duties. If he could be relieved o( tlie=e duties, lie could do the butter-mak-er's work. To Mr. .lobmt.iie- The company advertised for an assistant butter-maker in .August.' but no replies were received. To.the chairman: He did not think a butter-maker could be. trained in a few months. William Mcl.eod Ross, manager of the Moa Farmers-' C'o-operative .Company, said the company lnid seven creameries and one main factory. It would take year* to train a. butter-maker, and make him ns competent as the. appellant. It would Hot be practical to place'witness in a fi\'sd position in the factory, for ho had to attend to the machinery at the creameries and home separators when anything went wrong, and to do other work. The quality of butter manufactured at a factory depended largely on the butter-maker. The reports concerning, the factory's produce had been ex-! eellent, and this was solely due to the expert work of Mr. Petch. I T.o C'antain Walker: Mr. Petch had to thank witness largely for what lie knew. Mr. fetch was the only man lie lisd taught in five years. Had Mr. Petch volunteered, pr hfd the company lost the appellant's services, the company woiilt' have carried on. but it would probe'V have' suffered losses. He would I '" trained one of the youths, and w i have worked in the butter-room bin

Captain Walker: I take it, Mr. L' ; that Mr. Peteli is not anxious to stay' behind for his own sake? I Witness: That is so. Captain Walker: ])o yoi) give it as youf- opinion that in the present ptate of affairs Mr. Poteli would he serving the. country better here as a butter-maKer than at tlie front a3 a fighter? witness: Yes, I do. Witness added that the company waa a prize-winner, and that Mr. Petch's services v.-ere necessary to maintain the quality of the output. In reply to Mr. McLaren, counsel said last year the company's output realised £fis.lßS. Mr. McLaren? You realise that this is a time when the means at our disposal should he organisedt Witness: Yes , Mr. McLaren: How caTi you tell what labor there is in the market if you don't associate? Witnnss: There is 110 association in Taianafti. Mr. McLaren: You don't know what the position is generally throughout the Taranakl district? Witness: >To. Mr. McLaren: You do not know what number of assistant butter-markers arc available in Taranaki?

Witness: I understand butter-markers arc very scarce. Mr. McLaren: Doesn't ia strike you managers, ivlio art; captains of industry that you should have a general knowledge respecting- the means at your disposal ? Witness did'not reply. Tlie appellant was granted exemption until May 31. 1017, provided lie remains at his present position. Mr. Johnstone said there was no intention on the part of the Company to do anything that ■would hamper recruiting. ]t was concerned with the very important question of keeping 1 up to the maximum the supply of food of the host quality. The chairman said the. Board recognised that the appeal was a bona iidc one.

HESERVIST'S APPEAL DISMISSED The appeal of James Anderson, aged 42. a farmer, of Inglewood, made on t.-;e grotnds of hardship, was dismissed, the appellant being allowed imtil .Tam.Mr.y .'!1 to settle his ail'airs. < In gi-'-ng evidence the appelant said he and his brother had a farm of 124 acres on which they milked 27 cows. Appellant was an unmarried man?' All tlio milking was done by hand, 110 thought having been given to the matter of installing milking machines. Appellant had not. tried to get assistance, and neither he nor his brother luk! thought of enlisting. lie could afford to instal a milking machine. Appellant said he had a bad leg, and his brother complained of a weak heart.. He doubted whether lie could pas.i the medical test. The Board will sit at Hawera to-dav. where lo appeals have been set down for hearing.