MILITARY SERVICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 May 1939, Page 5

MILITARY SERVICE

PROVISIONS OF BRITISH LEGISLATION A MILLION DEFENDERS. POSITION OF DOMINION CITIZENS. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, May 2. The men called up under the Military Training Bill will be enlisted as militiamen. According to the text of' the Bill the men may alternatively ask for admission to Navy or the Air Force. Employers, under penalties, must reinstate the men after the six months’ training period in conditions no less favourable than when they joined up. The Bill enables rules to be drawn up to prevent the discharge of men who will shortly become eligible for military service.

Registration will be carried out by the Ministry of Labour. Persons failing to register are liable to a fine of £5. Questions of„pay and allowances to dependants arg not covered in the Bill, and these presumably will be the subject of regulations to be issued by the King and by Order in Council. ~ The Bill applies to Northern Ireland, but conscription will not be applicable there unless war is considered imminent. Citizens of Eire are also liable under the Bill, also citizens of any other Dominion if they are ordinarily resident in Great Britain and not already in a Dominion force'. Speaking on Britain’s new defence measures at the annual meeting of the Newspaper Press Fund yesterday, Lord Chatfield, Defence Minister, said that, taking into consideration the recently announced plans for military training, Britain has more than 1,000,000 defenders without calling up the reserves or the civil defence services. He added that one of the greatest values of a free Press- was the great opportunity it gave to study all shades of opinion. He believed that the average Englishman liked to hear both sides of a question. If peace, justice and goodwill were to triumph eventually, it would be accompanied by men of balanced minds throughout the world. This wish for a balanced view inclined many to read newspapers of all shades 'of opinion. BRISK RECRUITING HIGH TERRITORIAL FIGURES IN APRIL. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 1. Recruiting for the territorial army continues briskly. As was announced by the War Minister, Mr Hore-Belisha during the debate in the House of Commons on compulsory military training, the number enlisted up to then since April 1 had averaged 2000 a day. Since the introduction of the new measures was announced there has been an additional spurt to the recruiting of those over 21 years of age, and it is probable that the April figures will be about 80,000. The announcement of the new measures for military training has had an immediate effect on recruiting for the other services and the daily average of inquiries at the Air Ministry’s information bureau last week was 25,000. Actual recruits accepted by the Royal Air Force during the week ended April 29 totalled 1051 compared with 329 in the corresponding week last year. POLICY IN ULSTER. "LORD CRAIGAVON TO VISIT LONDON. (British Official Wireless.) ■ RUGBY, May 1. It is announced that Lord Craigavon, Premier of Northern Ireland, will go to London this evening on the invitation of Mr Chamberlain and Sir Samuel Hoare, Home Secretary, to discuss with them certain aspects of the Military Training Bill as it concerns Northern Ireland. ULSTER’S OFFER ALL RESOURCES AT BRITAIN’S DISPOSAL. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.8 a.m.) RUGBY, May 2. ' The Military Training Bill as it affects Ulster was discussed by Mr Chamberlain and Lord Craigavon and the latter issued the following statement: “Lord Craigavon referred to the resolution passed last year, to place at the disposal of the Imperial Government the whole of the resources of Northern Ireland. He reiterated that offer today to Mr Chamberlain and asked if he might be informed in what way Ulster could best serve the Mother Country. He said he left the final decision in the hands of the Imperial Government.”