WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1917, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE FAMILY SHIRKER. BRINGING HIM IN. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, March 19. of men affected by section 35 of the Military Service Act do not deserve the opprobrious title of "family shirker." From one cause and another these men liad very good excuses, good reasons indeed, for hot offering their services under the voluntary system. Some of them were over age, some were under age, some were dead, and some, the Minister says, were in gaol. But it seems, on the other hand, that far too many have been really shirking, and aro still showing no inclination to go into camp. Thirty-three have not yet been found, forty-one have failed to report for medical examination, and 301) are due for medical examination. Of the 2042 who appeared to be available, after striking 707 off for various reasons, only 403 are actually in camp, while 116 are down to go in at definite dates. It would appear that the military authorities and Militarv Service Board still have a eood deal of work to do before the v Minister can claim to have given full effect to the law. THE RAILWAY SERVICE.

It was announced at the sittiii" ot the Third Military Service Board in Wellington on Saturday that the general manager's scheme for the reduction of railway services, which is expected to release a number of men for the reinforcements, was before the Minister and would be submitted to the Cabinet as speedily as possible. It is understood the scheme does not make a point of doing away with excursion trains, and services of that sort, which could be bandied by a reduced staff; but outs a number of extra trains that have come into existence from time to time as a result of the demand to have passenger carnages attached to goods trains, these, carriages as a rule are only poorly patronised, but their presence involves the employment of a number of men altogether out of proportion to the revenue they earn. Apparently thev cost even more than race trains do while their returns never leave a balance on the right side. THE NEW ZEALAND NAVY. From the presence of 300 officers and men m-the uniforms of the Royal Navy at the Wellington Town Hall, on Satur™y> enjoying a sumptuous luncheon provided by the Mayoress and a committee ot ladies, it was assumed bv many hasty people that a battleship was in port but there was no. mention of anvthin* of the kind in either th; : speeches that followed upon the luncheon or in the newspapers this morning The sailors must have dropped from the skies. But wherever thev came from the men had stories to tell of the war zone, which were intensely interesting, and which needed no further illustration than their tfTined faces and confident bearing Cantain Hall-Thompson, by a happy coincidence, it may be assumed, was "anion" them, and contributed mr.eh to the wisdom and wit of the occasion. The war ho said, was going to end on September 19. Ho had been celebrating at the Hotel Cecil in London some months a»o and had dreamt it. D