MILITARY APPEALS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1917, Page 6

MILITARY APPEALS.

Protest against confidential re-port op efficiency board!!

' Palmerston North, June 6. When the confidential report from the National Efficiency Board was referred at this morning's sitting of the Third Wellington Military Appeal Board in connection with an appeal which came up for hearing, Captain Baldwin, the military representative, protested that neither he nor the. appellant was allowed to see the 3-eport, and Ae report should not be .made use of unless the Efficiency Board representative was present to support it. In common justice to appellants in such cases, they had a right to hear what was said about them, and the Efficiency Board should substantiate the statement made. It would bo only fair to both sides if the trustees attended the sittings of the Appeal Board, and supported their statements by evidence. Mr. H. R, Cooper, counsel for the appellant, said he was in the position of hot knowing what'he had to meet. The chairman, Mr. W. H. S. Moorhouse, said he quite agreed that jt was unsatisfactory the wav in which those reports were kept back, but the Efficiency Board was in this position, that they ask for information in a general way from their representatives In the district. These gentlemen do this work onerouslv, and in the course of a report they might have to say some unkind things. There would be a difficulty in getting a report from local trustees if they were subjected to cross examination. Captain Baldwin said the function of the Efficiency Board was to direct the Appeal Board on general questions, not special cases, or to try appellants behind their backs with a report they had no means of verifying. The chairman: As chairman of this board I can say that never in one instance has the board applied to the Efficiency Board for assistance. In special cases on general questions only it is not fair to ask the Efficiency Board for such information.