MISSING RESERVISTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 March 1917, Page 5

MISSING RESERVISTS.

government wants to find THEM. Wellington, Yesterday. / "There is a fair number of men' drawn ia t.ho ballot whom we have not yet been able to find," stated Sir James Allen (Acting Premier and Minister of Defence) yesterday. "It may be that there is some satisfactory explanation ol our not Ijoing- able to find them, but we want that explanation, \vhether we get it from the men themselves, from their friends, from the police, or from the pubiie. Lists of theij- names are being posted up at all post offices throughout the Dominion. We want the lists to be as widely known as possible, because we are on the search for every man." The Minister added that there was another class of men .\ho were'trying deliberately to evade service, and the Government called upon the public throughout New Zealand to assist them in finding these men. The Defence Department, the police, and the Post Office were doing what they could, but the Government considered it the duty of every citizen to help them. "If," ■said Sir James, "they know of a man who is evading service, they should inform us, because if the man is trying to shirk he is probably putting into" the ballot some man whose claims for exemption are greater than his own. It will thus be seen that it is to the interest of allj whether they belong to the "First Division or the Second Division of tho Reserve, to assist tho authorities in. this most important matter." . ,