THE SECOND DIVISION.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 April 1917, Page 7

THE SECOND DIVISION.

CLASSIFICATION PROPOSALS. : '(From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, April 26. The classification of the Second Division of tho Expeditionary Reserve has been occupying the attention of the Recruiting Board for some time past, and to-day it is stated that definite proposals are being submitted to Cabinet for approval. The Second Division comprises all married men over 20 and under i*6 years of age, also widowers with children under 15 years of age. The Military Service Act contemplates the separation of the members of this division into groups, and it has been assumed generally that the basis of classification will be the number of dependents supported by the reservist.. A married man who has no children is better able to serve his country, other things being equal, than the married man with two or more children. But the classification is not as easily devised as would appear at first sight. For instance, a man with one child and a weekly salary* which will ceaso on enlistment, is in a worse position than the man who has four children and an assured income from busi- ! ness or property. The intention of tho Recruiting Board is to make the classification on broad lines and then leave the Military Service Boards to deal with the exceptional cases. Age as well as the number of dependents may be takgn. into consideration in the ■ groupingof the men.

A great deal of hardship will be Inevitable if the mobilisation •of members of the Second Division becomes necessary, and that fact ought to be faced by the men concerned. The rates of military pay will not be increased. The scale of allowances may be amended in the direction of increasing the separation allowance payable to the wife, but the basis of payment in all cases will be the same and the standard will be the amount that is fair in the case of the wage-earning classes of the community. In other words, many wives who are accustomed to housekeeping on a family income ot from £5 to £8 a week and 1 more, will have to adapt their iweekly budgets to an income of from £2 to £2 10s a week. This sort of thing has happened already in the cases of First Division men who were supporting widowed mothers, and so forth, but the instances have been comparatively rare. The probable date of the exhaustion of the First Division is still a subject of discussion in official circles. The available figures do not provide a basis for an exact calculation, since it is impossible to know what proportion of the remaining members of the division are •fit for active Bervice. But there appears to be no present reason for amending the suggestion already made, that the married men will not become subject to the chances of the ballot before October and will not be required to enter camp before December or January.