MILITARY SERVICE BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1917, Page 8

MILITARY SERVICE BOARD.

,-S-iKEW PLYMOUTH APPEALS. .* The No. 1 Military Service Board (Messrs D. G. A. Cooper. S.M., chairman, W. Perry, and ■[>. McLaren) continued its Kitting yesterday. Captain Walker, military representative, and Major Cox, ofticer commanding the group, were present. A COMMENDABLE SPIRIT. Horace Albert Larking, dairy farmer, Warea (Mr. A. H. Johnstone),'appealed on the goound of undue hardship. William John Larking, dairy farmer, Rahotu, brother of appellant* deposed that appellant 'was 20 years of age on June 1 this year. His mother was left six years ago with live children. The eldest sister was married and lived nine miles away, and another sister, eighteen years of age, was on the farm with her mother. His eldest brother was in Prance, having left with the Main Body. Witness 'was the second son, and was farming on the Kal>ui Road, 34 miles away. He had a wife and four children. His farm was 24!) acres, and with his wife he last year milked GO cows by machine. His mother's farm was 127 acres, partly fern and bush, and was a rough place. It carried from 20 to 24 r ows, milked by hand. Appellant did the work, assisted by his sister. The property could not permit of anyone being employed. Witness could not spare any time in the summer to assist, nor could his brother-in-law. To Captain Wallcer: His brother also did the ploughing for a widow next door, who only had a young son besides several daughters. If tho farm were leased it might be possible to get 15s per acre. The house was very old. If sufficient allowance ",vere made, appellant, who was very anxious to go, would leave to-morrow. He was only appealing for time till after Christmas, when, if they could not manage otherwise, they would sell the farm.

Captain Walker commended appellant's public epiritcdness in assisting his neighbor, an example that others might follow. The Eoard did not call appellant, and reserved decision sine die, the chairman intimating that the ease would be reviewed in December. NOT A IJF.SERVTST. Ronald .Stanley Land, employed at the Taranaki l-'arn-crs' Meat Company's Works, .Smart Road, appealed on the ground that ho was not a reservist, being 11) years and 10 months. The anneal was allowed. AN EMPLOYER'S APPEAL. William Angus McWhirter, shepherd, of • Waipitiki, Dannevirke, had not appealed, but had. gone into camp, and his employer was appealing on the grounds of public interest. Alexander Guard Mowatt, station manager at Mokau, deposed that appellant had been shepherd on the estate. Witness asked tha- leave might be granted until the end of the fattening Mason, about the end of March. Shcp-ln-rds were unprocurable. The property was of 1 -J,t>o ! ) acres, and carried 111 L' cattle and SiioO .-beep. It luid 2S miles of river frontage, lie had no men of the Kirst Division on the place. To Captain Walker: Witness was managing for Chambers Bros., who had other properties, lie did not know how much land or how many shepherds they had, but they had told him they could not procure shepherds. The chairman: Supposing you were given till after shearing? Witness: Fattening is just as essential. To Mr. McLaren: lie had never applied to the Government for men.

Mr. Perry: It is generally unsatisfactory.

Mr. McLaren: It seems remarkable that, the Government should have a. department and the farmers not take advantage of it.

Mi'. Perry: Private agents give more :atisfaction.

'ln Mr. McLaren: Witness did not know liic extent of advertising the lirni had done, but it would have been against their interests not to have made every flFort.

Mr. McLaren: Von are asking us io lake a man out of ramp, and should be .tide to satisfy us, that every e.'l'oit had been made. Witness stated that appellant was anxious to ito what the country thought

best. Decision, was reserved. At a later stage the chairman'of the Board announced that the appeal would be adjourned till next sittings to ascertain from Messrs Chambers Bros, and the labor agents as to the probability o. | getting another shepherd. I TIME GRANTED. Reginald Arthur Luxen, carpenter. New Plymouth, who was aged il and married, with one child, asked for time until November. He was granted leave until September IS, and the Hoard recommended that appellant be not sent away until after November, and that leave be '.rranted in November. Ashley'l). Maedoimld, drapery salesman, New Plymouth (Mr. A. 11. Johnstone!, applied for three months' leave on account of the illness of his wife and child. Leave was granted till October J 8. Ray Samuel Johnson, farmer. Pruti. wrote withdrawing his appeal, and asked that leave should be granted until September 18. He explained the reasons. Leave was granted accordingly. APPEALS WITHDRAWN. The appeals of Andrew Clias. Krauso, fanner. Kotare, and William McMahon, farmer, Waitara, who were medicalboarded VI, were withdrawn. A WATJEA CASE. Henry Pierce, farmer, Warea. appealed on the ground of undue hardship, he having two sisters and a nephew dependent upon him and two brothers gone to the front. Mr. Johnstone appeared on beVialf of appellant. The appellant stated he was a single man aged 30. He had a freehold farm of So acres. Adjoining was a farm of ISO acres belonging to his brother, who had gone to the- front, and he (appellant) was running both farms as one. He had 43-cows milked by machine, six horses, some pigs, And fowls. The Maori . land opposite his, just across tin road, j was overgrown with blackberry and ragwort, so that lio had to exercise con--iderable care. He had two sisters. The elder looked after the house, and the younger, about 10, helped with the milking. It would be very dillicult to get a suitable man to manage the farm. His sisters had no means of their own. He had two brothers now serving, one at thn front and the other on his way. fa Captain Walker: He had a brother-ja-JaWj-at Eketahuaa-who jaignt liglg to

manage tlic farm, but if lie came his sisters would have to go out, as he could not afl'ord to build another house. The appeal was adjourned till next sittings of the court to enable appellant to communicate with his brother-in-law. ASSISTANCE SEEDED. Thomas Kchrider, farmer. Albert Road, New Plymouth, for whom -Mr. Johnstone appeared, also appealed on the grounds iif undue hardship. The appellant stated that he was '29 years of age and married, with one child. The farm, about l.'iO acres, was owned by his brother and himself. His brother had volunteered and was turned down on account of a bad leg. He was then called up and was ordered to undergo an operation for appendicitis, and had to go up again for sentence next month. There was another brother, but he was in the Second Division and liable to be called up in the first ballot, as he had no children. Appellant gave particulars as to his financial position. The appeal was adjourned till next sittings. SINE DIE CASES. The appeals on behalf of the following clergymen of the Methodist Church were adjourned on the ground stated by the chairman on the previous day, namely, that the Board had been given to understand that a measure was to be intro* dnced into Parliament to exempt clergymen from service:—Alfred Jones Minilie, John Tladclifl'e Nelson, H. C. Orchard, John llcid, Ernest Richard Sage, and William (lilmour Slade. , The Board rose till 10 a.m. to-day. ■^—^-——.,... ,„. ~