DOMINION NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 February 1917, Page 4

DOMINION NEWS.

ROLLS OF FIRST AND SECwVH DIVISION'S. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. A SCRUTINY INVITED. Wellington, February 1. Pursuant to the decision of the Recruiting Hoard to publish printed rolls of the First and Second Divisions of the Reserve for each recruiting- district, the roll of men in the .First division of the Iteservo for No. 8 (Taranaki) District, comprising; the counties (with interior boroughs) of Patea, Hawera, Kltham, Stratford, Waimate West, Egmont, Taranaki, Clifton and Whangaraomonn, has now been issued. This issue- will bo followed in due course by the roll of men in the Second Division of tlie Reserve. The. roll now issued is a cony of the register as compiled during the enrolment period, as provided for by the Military Service Act, namely September of last- year. The roll will, therefore, contam the names of the men of the First, Division who have, since that date, either volunteered or 'been called up for service in the Expeditionarv Force.

The First Division of the Reserve consists of men natural-born British subjects of not less than twenty and under forty-six years of age, who are unmarried, or who married since May 1, 1915, and have no child under sixteen by a previous marriage, or 'who arc widowers with no children under sixteen, or who arc divorced or judicially separated from their wives and have no children under sixteen years of age. The Second Division consists of all other reservists.

Tlie place of residence, so far as known to the Government Statistician at the date of tho constitution of the recruiting districts (September 2;i,l!)lG), has determined the district to which a reservist belongs, and no transfer to any other district register can be made because of any change in. the reservist's residence after enrolment. Copies of this roll are being distributed' to each post office, Defence office and local body j recruiting committee office and police station in this recruiting district, where tliey are to be available for inspection by the public. The object of printing and publishing these rolls is to enable every man of military n£e, who is required by the Military Service Act to enrol in the reserve, to assure himself that he is so enrolled, and also enrolled in the division of tho reserve to which lie belongs, and likewise to see that every other i man of military ago of his acquaintance is on the register. The Recruiting Board hopes that local body recruiting committees and the public generally will take full advantage of the opportunity thus afforded to scrutinise these lists, :as by this means it is hoped that the roll for each district will be made as complete and perfect as it Should be. If a committee, or any member of the public, or any official has reason to believe that any man of military age is not enrolled, or is not classified in the division of the reserve to 'which lie belongs, the doubt can easily bo settled by applying at any post office for the printed and addressed form which is there available. This should bo fdled in with the full name of the person with respect to whom the enquiry is made and forwarded to the Government Statistical!, who will at once take whatever further steps are necessary. So far as post offices down to and including tho fifth grade and police stations are concerned, it is proposed to place with them copies of the rolls of the first and second divisions of tho reserve for each district as they are completed, so that complete sets of tho rolls for the whole of the Dominion may be available for reference by any man of military age who is absent from his usual place of residence, and mho wishes to ascertain if he is duly and properly enrolled for his own district.

(Signed) J. ALLEN, Chairman of Recruiting Board. SEDITIOUS UTTERANCES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christehurch, Feb. 2. Peter Scott Ramsay, president of the Anti-Conscription League, who appeared on remand to answer charges of seditious utterance, made a long speech, which was cut short by Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., who said the speech was apainst recruiting, and sentenced accused to eleven months' imprisonment, concurrent, on each of two charges. Ho said he would not give a year, as it would ho a question then whether accused would still come within the reserve. Mr. Raymond, K. 0., said that the military authorities could take Ramsay almost nt auv time to camp, as he had been drawn in the ballot. He made that statement because a lot of these men thought they would be safer in gaol than in Flanders. INQUIRY INTO ROLLING STOCK. Wellington, Feb. 2. At the instance of the Railway Department a commission has been set up to inquire into insinuations that rollinff stock on the railways has been allowed to deteriorate. The commission consifts of Professor J. R. Scott, of Canterbury Collego (chairman); Mr. James Marchbanks, engineer to the Wellington Harbor Board; and Mr. J. P. Maxwell. Civil Engineer, Wellington. It is to report not later than March. 10, and will open at Auckland on Monday, afterwards visiting the centres considered necessary. Mr. Myers, solicitor, will represent tha Department. The inquiry will be open to Ihe press.

INDUSTRIAL ORGANISATION. Wellington. Feb. 2. Tho Industrial Kflieicncy Board met in Wellington to-day. It consist* of Messrs W. Fergus (Wellington). J. IT. Oimson (Auckland), J. A. Frostick (Christehureh), nnd W, 1> Hunt ,'lnve.r--cargill). It is now considering certain proposals placed before tho Cabinet, and the result of its deliberations wili be considered by the Government,. Tho wain purpose (if the scheme is to deal with the position of affairs in New 7,wt land as brought about by the war and the rtsvclontncnl of "ndust:ifts aftw tho ■»»,-.